A Perfectly Imperfect Pair
by One and a Half Slytherins
Summary: The Golden Trio return for their seventh year at Hogwarts. Former Death Eater Draco Malfoy does too. Will jealousy and family hinder his love for the brains of the Golden Trio or will he take charge of his life and go after the girl he loves?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, Stephanie from One and a Half Slytherins here. This is my first solo fan fiction and I'm looking forward to writing it! I really hope you all love it because i know i do already! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. The amazing J.K. Rowling does. Trust me, I wish i owned it! And now for Chapter one of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair.  
**

A Perfectly Imperfect Pair

Chapter One: Ice Cream and Sugar Quills

The summer between their six and seventh year at Hogwarts had gone by particularly slow for Harry, Ron and Hermione. The same could be said for one brooding Draco Malfoy. His entire summer was spent listening to his father rant on about his disbanding from the Ministry and his suspected acts as a Death Eater.

Though the war that had occurred just shortly near the end of the last school year between most of the students and faculty of Hogwarts and Voldemort had ended indefinitely, there was still tension in the air of the Malfoy Manor that was so thick it could be palpable. Under normal circumstances Draco would have ignored his father completely, but something had come over him lately that had him irritated by the very sound of his father's voice.

One day in late August, shortly before the first term was to start, Mr. Malfoy was going on one of his rants in the middle of the living room.

"It's completely despicable you know. I believe that it's quite unreasonable of the minister to disband me from the Ministry. Complete rubbish considering the reasoning for it. Accusing me of being a Death Eater! I should've done away with him right then," Lucius growled as he paced around the large oval table that sat in the center of the room. Draco, who was lounging quite comfortably in the massive black leather chair reading the materials list he'd received from the school, blatantly said,

"Father you are a Death Eater. I suppose I should say you were a Death Eater considering the Dark Lord is now dead." His father snapped his head furiously toward him and said,

"That will be quite enough from you Draco. I suppose you think that now because your mark has faded you are no longer a Death Eater yourself, hmm?" Draco simply shrugged his shoulders and returned to reading the list. While his father raged on about how being a Death Eater wasn't something you could just do for a while then be done with, Draco was deep in thought.

_It was never my choice to become a Death Eater in the first place. I'm right glad to be rid of that stupid mark. All it did was give me grief and itch constantly. _

His father still talking in his ear, he stood up and retreated to his bedroom.

. . . .

"Hermione there's no way Malfoy could be a death eater. He's too much of a wuss. Besides, he wasn't even in the fight. Lousy jerk was probably hiding behind his father," Ron bickered to Hermione as they crossed the lawn. She folded her arms in front of her and said,

"That's the point, he wasn't in the fight. He was probably with Voldemort the whole time. You just don't want to believe it because you secretly fancy him." Ron looked horribly offended and rather loudly said,

"I do not fancy him! Malfoy's a right foul git and you know it! Maybe it's you who secretly fancies him!" Hermione blushed hard, her cheeks flaming red, and she smacked Ron's arm with all her might. He yelped and jumped away from her, rubbing his arm and swearing under his breath. Hermione smiled inwardly and put on a signature, Malfoy worthy smirk. After finding Harry and Ginny, they spent most of the night debating the possibility of Draco being a Death Eater, which helped the time go by faster.

The next morning, Errol came with the post, flying straight into the kitchen window as usual. They had all received their materials list from the school. Hermione however, received a bit more information. She tore open her letter and read it aloud to Ginny, who was the only one who seemed vaguely interested.

"Dear Miss Granger, we are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to be Head Girl during your seventh year. As well as yourself, Mr. Draco Malfoy has been selected to take the position of Head Boy. You are both to report to Professor McGonagall at the start of term to be briefed on your duties. Until then, we wish you a wonderful rest of your holiday and look forward to seeing you back at school in September. Sincerely, Head Master Albus Dumbledore." Harry and Ron had both tuned in and were now staring with their mouths gaping at Hermione.

"Malfoy is head boy? There's no way. That slimy git is nowhere close to being head boy material!" Ron said loudly, snatching the letter from Hermione's hands. Harry and Ginny voiced their opinions as well, but Hermione wasn't paying attention. She was too deep in her own thoughts to listen.

_How could this happen. His father must have something to do with this. Maybe I'll write Dumbledore and ask what's going on. Or should I write Malfoy instead? This is all so strange._

"...and he can shove his wand right-" Ron shouted, but Hermione cut him off and said,

"Ronald I don't honestly want to know where Malfoy should shove his wand. I think I should write to Dumbledore and find out what's going on. I wonder if Malfoy's gotten the news yet."

"What's going on in here? I could hear you shouting from all the way upstairs!" Mrs. Weasley asked as she entered the kitchen. She sounded annoyed and looked even more so. They held up their letters and she sighed.

"Hermione is head girl this year mum. That's what all the racket was about," Ginny told her. Molly came over and hugged Hermione, congratulating her.

"Yeah, and you'll never guess who's the head boy," Harry added, handing her the letter.

"Draco Malfoy. What a strange decision on Dumbledore's part," she said after reading it. "Looks like you'll all be making a trip to Diagon Alley this week."

"Just us? I figured you would be tagging along as usual mum," Ron said, sounding slightly amazed. His mother glared at him then proceeded to say,

"I'll be busy all week getting ready to ship you lot off to school for the year, so you'll be going by yourselves. I trust that after seventeen years you can manage to keep yourselves in line for a few hours to buy your school materials." They looked between each other and nodded a few times.

"Good. Well, off with you all. Start packing your trunks. Your laundry should be waiting for you in your rooms." The four of them stood up and walked out of the kitchen towards the stairs.

After hours of helping Ron unpack, organize, clean and repack his trunk by hand, Hermione retired to the spare room to go to bed. She thought about the letter and got up, walking over to the desk to pull out a piece of spare parchment and a quill. She'd decided to talk to Dumbledore in person, so she was writing a letter to Malfoy.

"Malfoy,

In case you hadn't been informed, we're head boy and girl this year. It's quite peculiar to me, but nonetheless it was Dumbledore's decision. I hope to hear from you before the term starts regarding the matter. Until then, enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Hermione Granger."

Errol was sitting perched on the window sill when Hermione looked up. She gave it to him and said,

"Take it to Malfoy Manner, and try not to get lost please." He ruffled his feathers and hooted softly before taking off into the starry night sky. The view reminded her slightly of the view from the window beside her bed in the Gryffindor towers, except she was looking over a sea of grassy hills and valleys instead of the Black Lake. Hermione breathed in the fresh air, then walked over and turned off the lights before crawling into bed and snuggling up under the covers.

. . . .

The sun shone brightly through the open windows and beamed down over Draco. He lay shirtless on top of the blankets, asleep, the heat of the sun keeping him warm. The pleasant dream he was having slowly faded to an end as he woke up. His tousled silvery blonde hair hung down on his forehead, not quite long enough to cover his eyes. He sat up and saw the owl sitting perched on the window sill with the letter in its beak. It hopped in and dropped the letter on the desk before exiting back out the window. He stood up and stumbled over to grab it, then sat on his bed and opened it.

"Granger? What the bloody hell is she writing to me for?" he asked aloud. He read the letter, and then looked at his letter from the school he'd received the previous day. It did indeed contain another piece of parchment explaining his being chosen to be head boy, as well as Granger being head girl. This was the least bit thrilling for him, and seeing Granger's name made it even worse. He grabbed a piece of parchment and scrawled on it quickly, responding to Hermione's letter.

"Granger,

I am now fully aware of the situation and I can assure you I'm just as confused as you, possibly even more so. Dumbledore must be off his rocker, but that's Dumbledore I suppose. See you at school.

Draco."

He gave it to his owl and instructed it to take the letter to Hermione. He pulled on a pair of black slacks and a green shirt before promptly taming his hair and making his way downstairs.

. . . .

Ron, Harry, Ginny and Hermione all stood in their robes in front of the oversized fireplace. Molly stood behind them, nudging them toward it and talking at the same time.

"Now I expect you all to behave and go straight to the places you need. Don't lollygag or get distracted. Just go to the stores you need, then head straight back here. Understood?"

"We will mum, no need to worry," Ginny said confidently, reassuring her mother. They took Floo powder from the pot and and said 'Diagon Alley', promptly disappearing in a large burst of green flames.

The four teens emerged from the fireplace and brushed off their robes.

"Ok guys; let's get to Gringotts before the morning rush gets too bad. We should be out of here by noon if we go now," Hermione told them as they started walking down the cobblestone walk. There weren't too many people there, seeing as it was only nine in the morning. Ron and Harry yawned in unison more times than Ginny could keep track of, both still slightly grouchy for being woken up so early.

After Gringotts, they went to their stores to buy their supplies. Hermione had just bought Ron some sugar quills, knowing he had a nasty habit of biting the end of his quills when he was working, when she turned and bumped smack into someone. She dropped her bag and the box of sugar quills and bent over to pick them up immediately. She didn't notice who she'd bumped into until she looked up and saw a pair of gorgeous grey eyes staring down at her. She'd bumped right into Draco Malfoy. He handed her the box of quills and said,

"Sorry about that Granger, I didn't see you there."

_Stop staring Hermione, for Merlin sakes! _

She smiled and took the box from him.

"Thanks Malfoy. Did you get my owl last night?" she asked curiously as they exited the store.

"I did. I didn't find out until this morning though. I was quite surprised. I saw you walk in there and I figured I'd come tell you now. I already sent out an owl though, so you'll have a letter waiting for you," he told her.

_Why is he being so nice? This doesn't make sense at all. _

"So I suppose this means we'll be sharing a dormitory for the year then, seeing as we're both heads now," he said, breaking the silence. She nodded, remembering that the heads did in fact share a dorm.

Draco knew there was something different about her today. She seemed very suspicious.

"This must be really odd for you. I know I'm never usually this... well, for lack of a better word, this nice," he told her, once again breaking the silence. She looked straight ahead and said,

"Yes well, it does seem a bit peculiar."

"I'm just trying to be on good terms before the year starts. We don't need McGonagall barking at us all year to get along," he told her. This was true, for the most part. He also didn't want to be on _her_ bad side. He could still remember how hard she punched in their third year, and didn't want to even begin imagining how much worse it would be now.

"That is a good idea. You really are smarter than I thought," Hermione said, laughing quietly at the face he made.

"You're not the only brainiac Granger. I just distract people with my dashing good looks to make myself even smarter," he boasted. Hermione smirked and said,

"Someone's full of himself again. Now that's the Draco we all know and lo- wait, never mind." He returned the smirk and said,

"You know you fancy me Granger, admit it. I'm just so irresistible." She looked over him and pretended not to be interested, when truthfully she was actually thinking about it. He was tall, handsome, witty, smart, and could be a total arse, but nevertheless, he was still decent. He had a bit of a build to him, but it was moderated evenly over him. Not too much muscle in certain places, but just enough to be noticeable. With as straight a face as she could muster, Hermione looked back at him and said,

"Nah, you're not really my type Malfoy. Nice try though." His eyes narrowed with determination and he stopped walking. She stopped and looked at him questioningly.

"Tell you what Granger. Why don't I buy you an ice cream and we can chat about this whole not being your type business? What do you say?" he asked casually, his voice tinged with determination. She smiled inwardly, keeping the smirk on her face and said,

"You're such a try hard, you know that?" He cocked his head slightly and looked at her questioningly.

"Was that you agreeing? Or am I eternally doomed to never find out why it is you don't find me irresistible?" he asked. Why did it bother him so much that she was being so guarded? He pushed the feeling out of his mind and focused on her answer. She closed her eyes, shook her head then said,

"Come on Malfoy; let's go chat about your irresistibility over some ice cream." A triumphant smirk spread across his face as they walked.

They sat facing each other in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour across the road from Olivander's wand shop. The waiter had just brought them their ice creams when Draco began.

"So why am I not your type Granger? I mean, you do seem to like the less appealing group, but still," he asked her, sounding a bit sarcastic. Hermione blushed slightly and said,

"Less appealing group? What's that supposed to mean?" She eyed him carefully as he contemplated his answer. He smirked and said,

"Well you do spend almost all of your time with Potter and Weasley at school. I figured you fancied one of them or something. I can't possibly think of any other reason to hang around those two all the time." Hermione froze at the accusation, her cheeks flushed to a deep red. His eyes widened at the sight and he burst into laughter.

"Which one is it? It's Potter, isn't it?" he asked. She was silent, still blushing hard.

"Weasel? Seriously? You've got to be kidding me! Merlin Granger, what spell did he cast on you to make this happen? I've got to get it from him!" He howled with laughter until Hermione spoke over him and said,

"For your information Malfoy, I don't fancy either of them. They're my friends, that's why I'm always with them at school. You just don't like them."

"Why should I be nice to them when they never treat me with any decency? It's not my fault they hate me. He probably still believes the rumours that everyone spread around first year that all Slytherin's are evil," Draco complained. Hermione ate the last of her ice cream, then looked out the window. The sun was up and the streets were busy with all the morning patrons coming to purchase school materials. It had to be close to noon by now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco watching her intently. She noticed every detail of his face because of the way the sun fell on it. His silvery blonde hair was pulled back mostly, but there were a few loose strands that fell down into his forehead, giving him a younger look. It looked almost white in the sun. She caught and held is gaze for a moment.

Her soft brown eyes lit up in the sun as he held her gaze, but he quickly looked away. He could imagine what his father would be saying to him right now.

"_Draco what are you doing, talking to a filthy mudblood. You're disgracing the Malfoy name! We have an image to maintain!" _

The thought of his father sent a chill up his spine.

"You ok Malfoy?" Hermione asked, breaking him out of his thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine Granger. I'd better get going though. My parent's will be expecting me soon, and my father will hex me into next week if I don't get home in time," he told her, sounding slightly disappointed that he had to leave. He left the money on the bill that had been dropped off at the table and watched as it disappeared. They walked out of the parlour into the sunlight and Hermione caught sight of her friends, waving to them before turning back to face Draco.

"So I guess I'll see you on the train then," she said, adjusting the bag that hung on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll see you on the train," he replied. Then he did something that shocked both of them. He reached out and hugged Hermione quickly. They broke apart, looking at each other awkwardly.

"Bye then," Draco said fleetingly as he walked away toward the Leaky Cauldron.

"Bye," Hermione called after him, her cheeks flaming red.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Trains

Platform 9 ¾ was packed with students and parents, as was the usual sight they had seen every year for the past seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood behind the four teens as they waited to board the Hogwarts express. They were having an animated conversation with Hermione's parents about the past several years flying by so quickly and how the kids had grown up so much. Ginny was talking with a friend while Ron and Harry talked amongst themselves, leaving Hermione to her thoughts. She searched through the crowd looking for someone to talk to, but found no one. She was just about to pull a book from her bag when she spotted someone waving cautiously at her. It was Draco.

He stood casually beside one of the brick pillars pushing his robes into his bag. He had on a green t-shirt and a black button-up vest, instead of his grey vest and tie that went with his uniform. She smiled inwardly and mumbled something about asking when they could board the train, then promptly walked away from her friends toward Draco. He gave her a small smile and greeted her.

_Great, here comes the awkwardness. _He thought to himself as he began to open his mouth to speak.

"How are you?" he asked nervously, trying to act calm, but failing miserably. She smiled and said,

"I'm well, and yourself?" He shrugged his shoulders once quickly and said,

"I'm decent. My parents didn't come with me here, so I'm a whole lot better than I would be otherwise." Hermione raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him and asked,

"Are you sure you're ok Draco? You seem a bit nervous." He was caught off guard slightly when she called him by his first name, causing him to not immediately respond to her question.

"I'm fine. If we're being honest here, I am the slightest bit nervous," he managed to stammer out. She giggled quietly and said,

"Draco Malfoy is nervous around a girl. I never thought I'd live to see the day." He smirked and looked at his feet, only to find that the reflection allowed him to see right up her skirt. He quickly looked away and blushed hard, hoping Hermione wouldn't notice. His tie slipped out of his bag and fell haphazardly to the ground. They both rushed to pick it up and managed to smack their heads together. Hermione ended up getting the tie and handing it to him, rubbing the spot on the top of her head that had collided with his as they laughed awkwardly. One of the train attendants shouted that everyone could start to board the train. It startled both of them, causing them both to blush slightly. Hermione ran quickly to hug her parent's goodbye, then walked back over to Draco and stepped up into the train.

They walked to the front of the train and found themselves standing in front of a car that was labelled "Heads Only. No Exceptions." Aside from the layout, it wasn't much different from any other car, except for it was much bigger and there were two couches and a small table in the middle of the room. They walked in and put their things away, sitting down across from each other on the couches. Hermione tucked her legs up underneath her and leaned comfortably against the arm of the couch. Draco put his feet up on the table and lounged back slightly.

"So, how was your last week of vacation after I saw you at Diagon Alley? I meant to write you but I was so busy helping Ron and Harry finish packing that I couldn't possibly have found time to," Hermione asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, I don't think my father shut up once from the time I returned home until I left this morning. Other than that and packing, it was relatively uneventful. What about you?" he replied. He watched her carefully as she tucked a stray brown curl behind her ear and pursed her lips slightly before speaking.

"Well Ron was being nosy as ever after we got back to the house. He wouldn't stop asking what you wanted with me. Harry and Ginny are awkward as ever, and it still astounds me that they can go about pretending like nothing happened. As for me, I basically spent the entire week helping Mrs. Weasley with our trunks and getting everything ready to leave. It was a really busy week, that's for sure.

"Well Ron was being nosy as ever..." He watched her speak with complete fascination. She used her hands a lot when she spoke, which Draco never really understood but he enjoyed it. He was neither paying attention to what she was saying or wanted to listen (only because she was talking about Potter and Weasley incessantly), but the way she spoke intrigued him. Her hair was more tamed than usual; it hung in loose curls down her back instead of being in their normal frizzy state. Had she done this for a particular reason? Maybe it had always been like this and he'd just never noticed. She'd finished speaking and was waiting for him to comment on her week. He looked up and was caught in her gaze, his eyes glued to her soft brown ones as he thought of what to say. He smiled and in a soft voice said,

"Have you done something different with your hair today? It seems more tamed than usual." She blushed and ran her fingers through a bit of it, pulling it down in front of her.

"I actually didn't do anything to it. It turned out like this for some reason when I dried it this morning. I'm amazed by it to be honest," she told him. He nodded once and said,

"Well it looks nice." She smiled and blushed slightly, her cheeks turning just the slightest shade of pink as she said,

"Uhm, thanks Draco." Once again he'd been caught off guard by her use of his first name. His heart raced and he could feel his cheeks getting hot. He looked over and noticed that she was now reading a book and holding a small silver chain up to her chin. He'd seen her read plenty before this, but never once had he seen her play with a necklace.

"Who gave you that chain?" he asked, pointing to the one between her thumb and index finger. She looked up from her book and said,

"Oh, my father gave it to me as an early birthday gift."

"Oh, that's nice. It's really quite beautiful," he told her. She smiled at him and nodded in agreement. God, he loved her smile. He watched as she read intently, her eyebrows furrowed together like she was concentrating hard on something. She was biting her lip as well, which she did when she was nervous or concentrating. He remembered all those times their houses had a class together and she would chew on her lip while working away. He lay flat on his back with his feet hanging off the edge of the couch and pulled out his wand. With one smooth movement, he charmed three little yellow birds into the air.

They flew around happily, chirping and singing. Hermione looked up over the edge of her book and watched them flit around the cabin. One of them broke away from the trio and flew around Hermione, singing a song and finally landing on the edge of her book. She laughed and whistled back at them. It was a sweet melody, one Draco had never heard before. It was short, only four or five notes long, but the birds picked up on it and broke out into a chorus. The sound resonated in the room. Hermione smiled happily and watched as they flew off her book and disappeared into the tip of Draco's wand.

"That was cute Draco. How did you know I love charms canaries?" she asked.

"You used to have them flying around you all the time during fifth year. You would go and sit under the oak tree closest to the lake and have them flying around you," he told her, not realizing how creepy that made him sound. She blushed hard and stared at him.

"You remember that?" she asked softly. He shrugged and said,

"Of course. I think you even sang once in a while too. I think you have a wonderful voice." She set her book down on the table and shifted so she faced Draco again. She had a straight look on her face, and asked something that made Draco's stomach do flips.

"Draco, do you like me?" He looked at her, slightly stunned, and replied,

"Uhm... I don't know what you mean." She rolled her eyes and said,

"Do you fancy me? Because honestly, it seems like you sort of do." His heart raced on his chest and he tried to avoid making eye contact with her, but failed and she locked him into her gaze. His steel grey eyes were wide with shock and they practically screamed the answer, but that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to hear him admit it out loud. He stood up, and she thought he was going to make a run for it, but he surprised her by walking over and sitting next to her on the couch. His eyes still locked on hers, he spoke.

"Ever since our third year when you punched me, I've liked you. At the Yule ball in our fourth year, I'd never seen anyone so astonishing in my entire life until I saw you walk through those doors. You're a wonderful person, despite your know-it-all attitude. You care about everyone else way too much, when you should be caring about yourself and you never cease to amaze me with your strength to put up with jerks like me."

She was speechless. Never before had she had a guy speak to her like that, let alone Draco. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that he could be so nice.

"Draco, I... I don't know what to say," she said, stuttering slightly.

"You don't have to say anything Hermione," he said sweetly.

"Draco, you just called me Hermione," she told him, obviously stunned. He smiled and said,

"How about this. Our first trip to Hogsmead is in two and a half weeks. Why don't we make it a date and see how things go. We have to patrol anyways, so it will work perfectly. What do you say?" She was unable to actually say anything, so she nodded her head, her eyes wide as dinner plates and her smile practically stretching from ear to ear. He smiled back and said,

"Great! It's a date then."

They walked off the train together, chatting about how Hermione's cat crookshanks was at home with her mother because her mother had taken a particular liking to him.

"How can you like cats? I prefer owls over cats any day," Draco told her as he pulled on his robes and tightened his tie around his neck. Hermione straightened her own outfit as they walked.

"I love crookshanks. He's very loving, but he can be a bit moody at times. He reminds me of you, come to think of it," she told him. He smirked and shook his head.

"I wonder how we'll be getting to the school this time. I hope it's not the carriages again," she told him. He looked ahead and saw that there were stacks upon stacks of broom sticks. He pointed them out to her and said,

"Looks like we'll be flying there. Hermione, whats wrong?"

It had occurred to Draco early on in their first year that Hermione wasn't one for flying. She refused to get on a broom after Neville lost control of his and broke his wrist.

"I can't get on this!" she argued to him pointedly. He was holding up two brooms, one of which was for Hermione but she refused to take it from him.

"Fine then, get on the back of mine and I'll fly us both there," he said, setting the spare broom aside and mounting his. She shook her head sternly. He held out a hand to her and said,

"Come on Hermione, trust me. Just get on the broom and hold on tight." She looked at him, then the broom, and reluctantly climbed on the back of it.

"Just hold onto the handle of the broom and kick off when I tell you to, ok?" he told her. She nodded, grabbed hold of the broom and kicked off when he told her to. They hovered barely two feet off the ground and began to move, causing Hermione to grab onto Draco's waist and hold on for dear life. She pressed her face against his back and held onto his waist as tightly as she could as they flew quickly toward the castle. He suddenly stopped and was hovering in mid air above the lake. He watched some of the boats begin to float across the lake with the first years in them and remembered what it was like.

"Hermione, look down there," he told her. She opened her eyes slowly then, screamed once, closing her eyes and clutching him tighter.

"Hermione, loosen up on the death grip a little, will you? I can hardly breathe," he said.

"I can't let go Draco. What if I fall off? What if we both fall off? What if-" she shouted frantically, but he cut her off.

"Listen to me for a minute Hermione. Just do as I tell you and you'll be fine. Keep your eyes closed and take deep breaths in and out. Don't think about me, or flying or anything else, just focus on yourself. Keep breathing and slowly relax your whole body. Ready?" She nodded and began to breath. Draco picked up momentum slowly, and he could start to feel her relaxing. He was also aware of the heat that was radiating off of her and going through his robes. He could feel her pressed against his back.

As they flew, Hermione relaxed more and more. She could feel herself calming down physically and mentally. She was also currently aware that Draco's torso was toned perfectly, each muscle easily defined, even through the sweater. He felt warm and soft beneath her grip, which was completely opposite of what she'd previously assumed of the tall, handsome Slytherin.

_I wonder if his lips are as warm as the rest of him... Wait, snap out of it Hermione! Did you really just ask yourself that? Merlin sakes, I must be losing my mind!_

They landed softly and before she knew it, Draco was helping her off the broom. He placed it against the wall with the rest of the brooms and began to walk through the corridors toward the great hall. They stood at the back of the large crowd of students waiting to be let in and take their seats at their house table. Draco remembered this and frowned slightly. Hermione noticed this and said,

"Thanks for letting me fly with you Draco. I know I'm not the best passenger." He looked down at her and couldn't help but smile.

"It's no problem, really. For someone who has refused to ride a broom since her first year, you passenger pretty well," he told her.

"There you go again with the remembering things from the past. You seem to be quite good at that," she said, looking up at him and smiling. The crowd in front of them began to slowly shuffle into the great hall. Before they moved, Hermione hugged Draco and said,

"Thanks again Draco." He hugged her back and said,

"No problem." They walked up and when they were at the doors, he said,

"I'll see you in the common room after dinner." She smiled and nodded, then proceeded to walk up to where Harry, Ron and Ginny were sitting.

"Look who survived the train ride," Ron said sarcastically as Hermione sat down across from him. Before she could make a snide remark, the doors opened and the first years came nervously down the aisle.

The sorting went by relatively slowly. Gryffindor House gained twenty-seven new first years, while Slytherin and Hufflepuff gained about twenty. Ravenclaw got the majority of the first years this year, gaining forty-nine kids. Ron, Harry and Ginny all discussed quidditch for most of dinner, while Hermione sat and quietly thought about the eventful train ride. Every once in a while, she would look over and catch Draco smiling at her.

After about an hour of talking and listening to her three friends talk, Hermione promptly informed them that she was going to head off to get settled into her dormitory. They all said their goodbyes and watched suspiciously as Hermione left the great hall, Draco following suit shortly afterwards.

Once out of the great hall, Draco sprinted up beside Hermione. He matched her pace exactly as they walked through the empty corridors to the staircases. After navigating their way to the fourth floor, they came to stand in front of the portrait hole.

"Password please?" the young witch in the painting asked politely.

"Titilandum Rotus," Hermione said eagerly. The portrait opened and they walked into the common room. Hermione let out a small gasp at the sight of it.

The stairwell leading up to the dorms was directly across from the portrait hole, splitting off to each of the separate rooms. The large brown suede couch that sat in front of the fire place was facing the left wall, and on the other side between two massive floor to ceiling windows was a table with two brown leather arm chairs around it. It reminded both Hermione and Draco of their bedrooms back home.

They both sat down on the couch in front of the slow burning fire and took in the room for a while. Draco leaned back and stretched his arms out over the back of the couch. Hermione unknowingly leaned back into the couch and bumped his arm. She jumped forward and they both said,

"Oh, sorry." Draco looked at his watch and said,

"We should probably get some sleep. Classes start first thing tomorrow morning after all." Hermione nodded and yawned slightly. He stood up and offered her his hand. She grabbed it and he pulled her up with a little more force than he expected, knocking them both back down onto the couch. They laughed, their faces almost pressed up against each other. Draco caught Hermione's gaze and leaned in slowly. Hermione met him half way and kissed him, lightly at first. Draco kissed her harder once more, and they broke apart. Hermione jumped up and said,

"I uhm... Goodnight Draco." She rushed off toward her room and disappeared. Draco sat on the couch, his fingertips at his lips remembering the feeling of her lips on his. He shook his head and stood up, stretching before slowly making his way up to his room. The walk up the stairs seemed much longer than it was, and when he opened the door he a room that strongly resembled his own at home. The emerald green drapery that hung from the king sized four poster bed, the floor to ceiling windows that let in the moonlight and cast a shadow over the dark wooden floors. A large mahogany desk sat on the opposite side of the room with some of his books stacked on it. He loosened his tie and pulled his shirt and vest over his head, tossing it next to the trunk on the floor, and crawled onto the bed. He laid there and thought for a while before drifting off to sleep.

_I wonder what Hermione's thinking about? Maybe she's still awake... _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Ancient Runes and Aftershave

The first two weeks of classes went by faster than they'd expected and before they knew it, it was the night before their trip to Hogsmead. Hermione was sitting on the couch reading her Ancient Runes text book when Draco walked into the dorm. They'd been a bit awkward since the kiss on the first night, so when he strolled casually into the room she glued her eyes to her book and waited for him to go upstairs.

"So, are you ready for Hogsmead tomorrow?" he asked, sitting next to her on the couch.

_I should've guessed he wouldn't forget about it. Oh well, here goes nothing. _

"Yeah, I suppose so," she said quietly, not looking up from her book. Draco watched her for a minute, then sighed and grabbed the book.

"Hey, I was reading that!" Hermione whined and watched helplessly as he pushed the book behind him on the couch.

"Draco I really need to study. I have a test in two days that I need to be ready for," she told him, attempting to reach behind him and get her book back.

"You're not getting your book back until you admit you're excited about tomorrow. Or have you forgotten about our date," he asked, eyeing her carefully. She sat back and folded her arms.

_I know what I have to say, but why can't I say it? _

"Hermione?" Draco asked, looking slightly worried. Hermione tried, but she couldn't bring herself to admit that she had these feelings for him. He looked at the floor, then stood up silently. Hermione watched as he began to walk up the staircase toward his room. She jumped up and followed quickly behind him. She'd never been in his room before, and was stunned by the openness of it. Draco stood in front of the window, the light from the setting sun cast a beautiful orange glow around the room. She walked up behind him, standing just a few inches away from him.

"Draco..." she said quietly.

"That day on the train when I told you how I felt, I meant every word of what I said. I've spent the past two weeks hoping you feel the same, or at least feel something for me. I guess I was wrong..." he said, pain filling his voice. She walked in front of him, blocking some of the light and casting a shadow on his chest. He looked down at her, his eyes rimmed with tears that were ready to spill over at any moment, and waited for her to say something. She placed her hands on his chest, clenching some of his shirt in her fingers and said,

"You're not wrong Draco. That day on the train was wonderful, and you were so handsome and charming. Even that day at Diagon Alley you started to make me fall for you and-"

"Wait, you fell for me?" he said, cutting her off. Hermione blushed hard. Draco brushed away a stray curl, the same one he noticed on the train, and let his hand linger on her cheek. She covered his hand with hers, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. He smelled good, like aftershave and spearmint. Hermione slid her arms around his waist and held him tight, feeling the warmth radiating off of him, feeling his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He grabbed one of her hands and slid it up to his shoulder, then took the other one in his other hand. She looked up at him and said,

"What are you doing?" He smiled gently, then leaned in, his lips close to her ear and whispered,

"Just go with it."

He twirled her around the room gracefully.

"This makes up for the Yule ball," he told her sweetly. She stared into his eyes as they danced around the room. They were full of life, and she knew he was happy. They stopped suddenly, and Draco took Hermione's hands and pulled her to the bed. He sat on it and said,

"You're a wonderful dancer." She blushed again and said,

"Thanks, so are you. So you really wanted to dance with me at the Yule ball?" He laughed slightly and said,

"I did. I was planning to ask you to go with me, but word got out that Krum had asked you and you said yes, so I didn't bother asking you. I was jealous of him like you wouldn't believe."

"Really? I thought you asked Pansy to go with you?" she said, slightly disbelieving. He smirked at the memory.

"I didn't. She asked me. I was going to go stag but she asked me three days before and I had to agree. She's feisty when she doesn't get what she wants." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You won't have to worry about her though. She's dating Blaise now," he told her, as if trying to reassure her.

"Why would I worry about her?" Hermione asked, suspicious.

"Well I wouldn't want her getting jealous and trying to hex you into next week," he told her. She lay back on the bed and rested her head on the thick pillow.

"I am excited for tomorrow, in case you were still wondering," she told him. He looked over at her and smiled.

"That's good. I had a feeling you were, but the way you avoided it earlier had me second guessing myself." He lay down beside her and breathed deeply.

"How did you know I sat by that oak tree in fifth year? The only people I told were Ron and Harry," she told him, remembering the canaries on the train. He was silent for a moment, then rolled onto his side to face her and said,

"I knew because I always sat _in _that tree. I knew you only went there when you were upset and I would always find myself up in that tree listening to you rant to the birds about your problems. I always wanted to hop down and talk, but I could never get myself to do it."

There was silence. Awkward silence, Draco thought, was more like it. He looked over at Hermione again and found her staring at him with a smile on her face.

_Those eyes... they're so beautiful. I could lose myself if in them if I let myself... he makes falling for him so easy. _

"I love your eyes..." she said, sounding very much like Luna. She spoke dreamily about them without knowing she was speaking out loud.

"Thanks Hermione. Yours are beautiful too. I would enjoy being able to look into them every day without feeling awkward..." he told her. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. After five minutes, he looked over and found Hermione to be fast asleep. He smiled and pulled the covers over her, then pulled off his shirt and crawled in beneath the covers and drifted off to sleep. The last thing he saw was Hermione's face, serene in sleep.

Hermione awoke earlier than usual the next morning. Without moving or opening her eyes, she took a deep breath in and began to fully wake up.

_Wait, why do I smell spearmint and aftershave? _

She opened her eyes and came into full realization of where she was. Beneath her was Draco, still asleep, and shirtless. The sun shone into the room at just the right angle that it illuminated his features. His hair was in a tousled mess on his head. One of his arms was draped around her protectively. She listened to his heart beat, slow and rhythmic in his chest, and his breathing to match. The alarm clock said seven thirty, which was fifteen minutes before she usually woke up every morning. Suddenly, Draco shifted and breathed in deeply, stretching slightly as he did so. He opened his eyes groggily and saw Hermione lying on his chest with his arm around her. He could remember falling asleep next to her the previous night, but he could not remember doing this.

"Morning Hermione," he said; his voice cracking slightly as he said her name. This made her giggle as she replied,

"Good Morning." She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then stretched and said,

"I'm going to go shower and get ready. I have a date to go on today, and I don't plan on going out looking like this." Draco smirked and watched as she stood up and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Hermione came out of her dorm room half an hour later dressed in a light blue t-shirt, a black and white striped cardigan and her favorite pair of jeans. Her bag was slung over her shoulder and she carried her coat on her arm as she walked down to the common room. To her disbelief, it was empty. She had thought for sure that Draco would have been down before her. She set her things on the couch and walked up the stairs to his room. The door was open, but she couldn't hear him, so naturally she walked in to see what was taking him so long. She immediately noticed the outfit he had laid out on the bed. A blue button-up shirt, black tie, and a black vest with a pair of dark coloured khakis. An outfit similar to the one he'd worn on the train. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Draco once again shirtless, only now he was wrapped in a towel from his waist to his knees. The water dripped off his hair and ran down his chest, causing him to look like he was glowing.

_Merlin's beard, he looks hot! Hermione, stop staring at him for crying out loud! _

"Oh, sorry Draco, I was just-" she stammered, mumbling slightly. She was frozen in place as he walked over to her and examined her outfit.

"Don't worry about it Hermione, its fine. I like the outfit by the way," he told her. She blushed a deep red and walked out of the room without saying another word.

They had another twenty minutes before breakfast, and when Draco came down from his room, Hermione could smell his aftershave and the strange spearmint scent. She wondered where it came from, biting her lip intently as he walked up to her.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"Oh, I was uhm... I was just thinking about where we should sit at breakfast," she lied. Ok, so it wasn't much of a lie. She was thinking about where to sit before he came and distracted her with his scent.

"Oh, that's a good question. Where do you want to sit?" he asked. She shrugged.

"It would probably be best to sit at the Slytherin table to be honest. We'd never hear the end of it if we sat with Ron and Harry," she said bluntly. He nodded in agreement then stood up and said,

"Alright, the Slytherin table it is!"

The entire walk down to the great hall, Draco and Hermione talked about what Harry and Ron would say if they sat together with them at Gryffindor table. Draco did a horrible, yet hilarious, impersonation of Harry as they walked in, but their laughter was cut short. Everyone was watching them. After a few seconds, rapid whispers started among the students. Hermione caught the faces of Harry, Ron and Ginny watching her as she walked beside Draco up to the Slytherin table.

"Morning Blaise, Pansy," Draco said as they sat down. They both stared at Draco and glared at Hermione.

"What's this filthy mudblood doing sitting at our table?" Pansy blurted out rather loudly, attracting the attention of most of the Slytherin and Ravenclaw students. Even some Gryffindors turned to watch. Blaise had a satisfied look on his face as he ate his breakfast, waiting to hear Draco's witty reply. No such reply came. Instead, Draco stood up and angrily said,

"Don't ever call her that again, or I'll hex you all the way into Christmas holidays!" Blaise stood up and said,

"Watch your mouth Malfoy, that's my girlfriend you're talking to." Hermione, who had just finished filling up her plate, stood up next to Draco and promptly left. He grabbed his plate and followed her out of the great hall, every single student watching as they stormed out. He followed Hermione into an abandoned classroom on the second floor, sitting next to her at one of the tables. He hadn't noticed until he sat down that Hermione was crying. He tried to look her in the face, but she wouldn't budge. He took her chin in his hand and turned her head toward him, the rest of her body following behind it, and softly said,

"Hermione, I'm so sorry for letting her call you that. I should've stopped her. She had no right to do that." He looked into his eyes, her soft brown ones swimming with tears, and said,

"Thanks Draco. You don't need to apologize though, it wasn't your fault." He shook his head in protest and said,

"No, I should've said something. I should've defended you better than that." Hermione leaned into his chest; his arms closed around her and held her tightly as she sobbed. He could remember back to their second year when he'd called her that. He remembered the hurt look on her face as she led her slug-puking friend away. He'd secretly felt horrible for calling her that, but would never admit it for fear of the ridicule.

She sat up and wiped the tears from her face, feeling slightly embarrassed that she'd let him see her cry. He hugged her once more, then ate his breakfast while they talked.

"I still can't believe the looks I got from Harry and Ron. I thought Ron's head was going to explode," she told him, taking a bite of toast. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Why do you care so much about what they think? I mean, I know they're your friends and all, but you don't have to listen to them all the time. Men don't always know what they're talking about. Trust me, I know," he told her, smirking as she glared at him awkwardly.

"I don't know. I guess after seven years of being their friend, I've just gotten used to listening to them tell me what they think, even if it isn't what I want to hear. I never really thought about not caring what they think," she told him.

"Maybe you should start then. I mean, I can see where they're coming from. They probably both think I'm a right foul git who doesn't deserve you as a friend, so they're obviously not going to want you spending time with me," he explained. Hermione could practically hear them now.

_What the bloody hell is she doing with Malfoy? How come she's sitting with that slimy git instead of us? I ought to hex him into next week! Harry, just look at the way he's looking at her. It's disgusting! _

"You're probably right. I do care about their opinions, but I shouldn't take them so literally," she admitted. Draco smiled inwardly, then said,

"Exactly. Besides, would you honestly rather be with them listening to them complaining about me, or spend time with me?" She blushed brightly, which caused Draco to smile and laugh quietly. Hermione hit him on the arm and said,

"I'd rather be with you, but you don't have to laugh at me for it!" He burst into full blown laughter and eventually, she joined in. When they finally calmed down and finished eating, it was nearly eleven, which meant that they would have to check in with McGonagall and begin patrolling Hogsmead for the day. Thankfully, they were given an hour before hand to do any shopping they wanted before patrolling. Their plates disappeared and they left for the great hall once again. This time, Draco grabbed Hermione's hand as they walked.

_He's just asking for the ridicule now. If Harry and Ron see this, they're going to freak out. Wait, no, it doesn't matter what they think. I'm happy and that's all that matters. _

She squeezed his hand reassuringly as they walked into the great hall once again. Hermione led them right up to Harry and Ron, Draco following awkwardly behind her. He was resisting the strong urge to make a smart remark, but he knew that it would only result on an icy glare from Hermione. Not to mention it would reduce the odds of them having a good afternoon.

"Hello Harry, hello Ron. Did you two have a nice breakfast?" she asked casually, ignoring the fact that they were both glaring at Draco.

"Yeah, it was fine. Hermione, don't mind me asking, but what's Malfoy doing here?" Harry asked, trying not to sound angry. Unfortunately for him, Ron didn't have the same level of control.

"Yeah, and why in the bloody hell are you holding hands with him?" he asked, sounding both angry and jealous.

"Excuse me, but you do realize I'm standing right here, don't you?" Draco said sounding particularly annoyed at their lack of acknowledgement.

"Stuff a sock in it Malfoy, nobody cares," Ron said bitterly. Draco was fuming, but Hermione squeezed his hand and he calmly said,

"Watch yourself Weasley. I would be careful of what you say if I were you."

"Don't be such a grouch Ron, honestly. We just came over here to wish you two a good trip to Hogsmead today. Since we'll be patrolling, I won't be able to spend the day with you guys," Hermione said, ending that argument all together. Ron looked extremely bitter and Harry looked slightly annoyed as they said their goodbyes and headed for the doors.

The weather outside was crisp, seeing as it was almost October. Hermione wrapped her scarf around her neck and walked hand in hand with Draco down the path to Hogsmead. They spent most of their free hour strolling through the streets. Neither of the two heads had a particular need for anything. Hermione had stocked up on enough quills to last her until after the Christmas break.

"Could we stop at Honeydukes? I've been craving some sweets lately," Draco asked as they walked past the candy shop. It was packed full of students, but they managed to get in and out within the last ten minutes of their free hour. Hermione suggested they grabbed a butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks before they started to stay warm. It was getting close to one o'clock and it was already getting chilly. They entered the already busy pub and warmed up instantly.

"Look who it is. Potter and Weaselbee sitting with Longbottom and the other Weasley. What a sight," Draco said snidely as they walked up to the counter. Hermione glared at him quickly, all the while avoiding the table of friends all together. They grabbed the two bottles and walked out, waving to her four friends as they left.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Date

The students of Hogwarts were generally well behaved on school trips, so Draco and Hermione had the afternoon to stroll around and do what they very well pleased. They had been wandering the streets for nearly an hour when Draco decided to take a detour.

"There might be some kids down by the Shrieking Shack doing Merlin knows what. We'd better go down there and check," he had told Hermione, attempting to make his excuse sound as valid as possible.

"I suppose there could be someone down there. Let's go," she agreed, oblivious to what she was getting into. They walked the narrow trail down to the fence that separated Hogsmeade from the Shrieking Shack. According to legend and rumour around Hogwarts, it was supposedly haunted, but no one was ever brave enough to go in and see for sure.

"Do you reckon it's really haunted?" Draco asked as they entered the open area near the fence.

"It's not as far as I know. I've been inside it and it didn't seem that scary," Hermione blurted out, unaware that she'd just spilled a secret that she'd been keeping for four years. Draco looked at her in utter disbelief and said,

"You've been _inside_? How in the bloody hell did you manage that?" Hermione was silent, feeling guilty for spilling Harry's secret to Draco.

"Well, I was uhm... It was really a big misunderstanding... You see I was..." she mumbled. Draco smirked and shook his head, walking in front of Hermione and saying,

"You know, you're really are cute when you're nervous. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She hugged him tightly, grateful for him understanding, then said,

"Maybe I'll show you some time. We should probably get back though. Wouldn't want to get in trouble for slacking off now would we?" Draco smiled and said,

"I certainly wouldn't. McGonagall can be scary sometimes." They both laughed and made their way back up the trail. On the way back, Draco spotted a patch of wild flowers growing in the trees. He stopped and walked over to them, which caused Hermione to wonder what he was doing. She bit her lip nervously and watched as he knelt down and pulled out his wand. He muttered something inaudible, then stood up. He'd turned one of the flowers into a small silver rose, which he gave to Hermione. She blushed and said,

"Thank you Draco, it's beautiful." He smiled and said,

"Blow on it." She gave him a puzzled look, but blew gently on the rose. It transformed into a pink water lily, her favorite flower. Her eyes glowed with excitement at the beautiful magic she'd just witnessed.

"Magic, never more pure and beautiful than this. Just like you," he told her sweetly. She blushed deeply then placed the flower in her hair, tucking it in just above her left ear. She twined her fingers through his as they walked through Hogsmeade, chatting casually about where he'd learned to do magic like that.

"I came across the spell over the summer in one of my father's advanced transfiguration books. I spent nearly an entire month practicing it. Some flowers work better than others, specifically the rose, so I transfigured the wild flower into a rose, the charmed it to change when you blew on it," he explained. It amazed her that he could be so sweet. She remembered all the years of torment and how he ridiculed her for being a muggleborn and wondered how he could've changed so much. She was silent for a long period of time, which made Draco slightly uneasy. He didn't want to ask what she was thinking about, so he used legilimancy to read her thoughts.

"_He was so obnoxious all those years, always teasing me, but now he's this charming guy who transfigures flowers and stands up for me. It's really amazing how people can change. Damn him for making it so easy to fall for him. Those eyes, that hair, his smirk, the way he laughs. I can never get enough of it. Especially those eyes..." _

_Wow, she really thinks all that about me? Am I really making her fall for me that easily? Maybe I should ask her... No, it's too soon still. _

Some of the other students were starting to make their way out of the stores, slowly walking back to the castle. Hermione sent a flare spell up into the air to make sure the rest of the students knew it was nearing their time to leave, then walked up the brick path to the castle with Draco.

Once back in the common room, they sat in front of the fire and warmed up a bit. Neither of them spoke, both deep in thought about their afternoon. Hermione remembered the flower in her hair and smiled.

"Well, I'd say that went pretty well for a first date," Draco said, breaking the silence. Hermione smiled and said,

"It really was. I really enjoyed the afternoon." Draco smirked, then said,

"You're welcome."

"For what?"

"For this," he said. He leaned over and kissed her once on the lips, lingering slightly, then leaned back to his sitting position. She smiled and blushed hard, not saying anything. She bit her lip nervously, contemplating what to say.

"What?" he asked nervously. She smirked and said,

"Why'd you stop?" He smiled, leaning over and pulling her to him. She slid her arms around his neck and leaned in.

It had been almost a week since their first date, and Hermione was falling more and more for Draco every day. He did little things to catch her attention in class and they'd been spending most of their free time together. It was Saturday night and Hermione had just finished off her Ancient Runes essay. Draco was sitting in the chair next to her with his head practically buried in his Astronomy text book. He smacked his head on it gently, leaving it there and huffing in defeat.

"Let's take a break. You look like you could use one," Hermione told him. He sat up and slumped in his chair. Attempting to lighten the mood, Hermione stood up and said,

"C'mon Draco, get up. Let's get out of here and go do something." She held out her hands to him and waited patiently for him to get up. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her hands, standing up and pulling her into a hug. They'd become extremely close since the trip to Hogsmeade and it was no longer awkward between the two of them to exchange hugs regularly.

"So, what should we do? We could go for a walk down by the lake, or take a trip to the library, maybe play a game of wizards' chess. Or we could just sit and talk for a while," Hermione asked, rattling off a few suggestions. Draco grinned as an idea popped into his head. He left without a word and came back from his room carrying his Nimbus 2001 and an extra sweater. He handed Hermione the sweater and opened the window. The chilly night air slowly creeped in, causing Hermione to pull the sweater on.

"What are you doing with your broom?" she asked nervously. Her stomach was full of butterflies when she saw him mounting the broom.

"Oh no, I don't think so. Draco, there's no way were going flying. You know I'm afraid of flying," she told him frantically, slowly backing away from him. He huffed impatiently and said,

"All right, it's your loss then." And with that, he took off. Hermione ran to the window and saw no sign of Draco. He'd left her behind without giving it a second thought. She sank down to the floor and curled up in the sweater, smelling the sweet scent that swirled around her from his cologne, which she had come to discover was the source of the mysterious spearmint smell. She wondered where he'd flown off to without her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the intoxicating scent. Draco floated up and smirked at her sitting there on the floor with her eyes closed in his sweater. He flew up to eye level with her and whispered,

"What the bloody hell are you doing on the floor?" She opened her eyes and jumped, letting out a scream as she did so. He chuckled and flew up into the room, landing easily on the floor and stepping off. He helped her up and smirked at the grouchy look she wore on her face.

"Why would you just leave like that?" she asked sounding hurt.

"I hurt your feelings, didn't I?" he asked, his voice filled with resentment toward himself. She nodded a couple times, staring at her feet and biting her bottom lip. He closed his eyes and stepped away from her, his fists clenched at his sides so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"I'm such an idiot. Why do I always ruin everything good in my life?" he growled in a deep, angry voice. The resentment within him only reinforced the hatred he felt toward himself. He'd hurt the one thing he loved most in the world and he couldn't take it back. Hermione knew he was upset, and she walked right in front of him, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to meet her gaze.

"Draco Malfoy you listen to me. You haven't ruined anything at all. You mean so much to me, and to have you just go and give up on yourself like this, it breaks my heart. Please don't get angry and give up on yourself. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't have you around. Please Draco, for me," she told him. Tears welled up in his eyes as she spoke.

"Hermione...Do you really mean that?" he asked, his voice shaky. She took his face in her hands, pulling him so that his forehead was pressed against hers and stared right into his soft grey eyes as she spoke. She spoke quietly, emotion flooding her voice, and said,

"I meant every word. It's been almost a month that we've been close friends, and I care about you more than anyone in the world. I know how sensitive you are."

"Fly with me. I want to take you somewhere," he told her. She nodded without hesitation and smiled at him. She got on the back of his broom, holding onto his waist tight as they kicked off and soared into the night sky. The moon was out and it illuminated the lake, making the water sparkle as they flew over it. Hermione knew exactly where they were going as soon as they were over the lake. They flew down and landed beneath the large oak tree that Hermione had sat under for most of her fifth year. Draco propped his broom up against the side of the tree and walked over to Hermione, who had made her way down to the edge of the lake. He wrapped his arms around her gently and felt her lean her head against his chest.

"I've missed this place so much..." she sighed. He rested his chin on the top of her head and said,

"Me too. Come sit down with me." He sat down on the ground beneath the tree and rested his back against it, Hermione sitting on his lap curled up against his chest to keep warm. He breathed deeply, taking in the fresh air, then sighed. Sitting like this with Hermione felt right to him, like they were meant to be like this.

_I have to ask her now. If I don't I might never be able to do it. Come on Draco, you can do this. Just man up and ask her. _

"Hermione?" he asked quietly.

"Uh-huh?" she replied with a sigh.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, his voice no more than a whisper. He could feel her smile against his chest, her heart beating hard in her chest.

"I would love to," she told him excitedly.

"Draco?" she asked him, butterflies fluttering in her stomach, waiting to burst out at any moment.

"What is it?"

"I...I love you," she told him nervously, hoping it wasn't too much too fast. She looked up into his soft grey eyes and waited.

"I love you too Hermione. You have no idea how happy I feel to finally be able to say that to you," he told her. His eyes were so happy and full of light. This was truly the happiest he'd ever been in his entire seventeen years. After all these years of brooding and self loathing, he finally had the chance to be happy. Hermione could tell that this was his chance to change for good and make things right. Draco pulled out his wand and flicked it, causing three yellow canaries to fly out of the tip and circle around them. Hermione giggled loudly as the birds perched on her legs and started singing. Her peals of laughter cut through the silence of the night, echoing and bringing the night alive around them. There were only two words Draco could think of to describe this moment.

_Absolutely perfect. _

The birds flew back into the tip of Draco`s wand, leaving Hermione smiling wide and Draco happier than ever. A small breeze blew over them from off the lake, causing Hermione to shiver against Draco`s warm chest. She curled up closer to him, breathing in his smell and listening to his now steady heart beat.

"We'd better get back to our dormitory," he whispered into her ear. She sighed and looked up at him. Her soft brown eyes seemed to melt as they met his and gazed longingly into them.

"I suppose you're right," she said sadly, shifting onto the cool damp ground before standing up. Draco stood up and wrapped his arms around her protectively. He kissed her once then, with his lips just barely touching hers, he whispered,

"I wish we could stay in this moment forever. Then my life would truly be complete."

"Do you think that day will ever come? The day when your life would truly be complete?" she asked quietly. He smiled and said,

"It's possible..." She eyed him and said,

"What would that day be exactly?" He stared into her eyes, making sure to keep full contact with them as he said,

"That day, if it were to ever happen, would be the day I marry you."

"You're such a hopeless romantic, and it's so cute," Hermione said, her eyes wet with tears of shock and happiness. He kissed a tear that had escaped her eye and whispered,

"I love you Hermione Granger."

"And I love you, Draco Malfoy." He kissed her deeply once, then with his arm still wrapped around her waist, grabbed his broom and got on. She got on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. Not out of fear or because she needed to, but because she wanted to. They kicked off and were in the air within seconds. Hermione watched as the scenery zoomed past them, and soon enough they were back in the common room. Draco set his broom up against the wall and sat down on the couch. Hermione sat next to him, tucking her legs beneath her and resting her head on his shoulder as she cuddled into him. The warmth of the fire felt wonderful on their cold limbs. After ten minutes or so, when Draco thought she was asleep, Hermione asked,

"Would you really ask me to marry you if you could?"

"Of course, but I would wait until we were older and I would ask your fathers permission first," he told her. She smiled to herself and wondered what it would be like to walk down the aisle and see Draco standing there waiting for her.

"Speaking of parents, I was wondering if you would spend Christmas with my parents and me this year," she asked him.

Christmas at the Malfoy Manner wasn't much celebrated anymore. In fact, Draco couldn't recall ever having a normal Christmas with his family. Spending the holidays with Hermione sounded much more appealing than spending two weeks with his parents and sulking around the whole time with nothing to do.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. I'll write to my parents closer to the holidays and let them know I won't be home for the break," he told her enthusiastically. Hermione smiled, then yawned and said,

"I'll be right back." He watched her walk over to the staircase and disappear into her room. She came back in her pyjamas carrying a small photo album.

"What's that?" he asked as she sat down beside him. She flipped it open and said,

"It's a photo album. I bring it with me every year and look at it when I feel homesick." She flipped through the pages slowly, smiling at every page. Some of the photos moved, and some were still. Most of the ones that didn't move were from her years before Hogwarts, but there were a few from the summers that had passed that her parents had sent her.

"My parent's travel a lot while I'm gone. Ever since my third year, I've practically lived with the Weasley's over the holidays," she told him as he admired the still photos. A surge of jealousy coursed through his veins at the mention of the Weasley's. He'd spent six years watching Ron flirt with Hermione without her even knowing.

"So this is your father then? The one on the right?" he asked, trying to distract himself from his jealousy.

"Yeah, and the three men next to him are my uncles, and then on the left is my mom and her brother and sister," she told him, pointing out people. The picture on the page opposite it was filled with children. He spotted Hermione sitting on the grass in the front row hugging another little girl, roughly the same age as her.

"These are all my cousins. I think I was maybe eight or nine when they took this picture. Some of the older ones have kids of their own now. Both my parents are the youngest in their families, which basically makes me one of the youngest kids there. It kind of sucks sometimes..." she told him, frowning slightly.

"Are any of them?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, I'm the only one. I was always the weird one because of it. None of them ever really liked me. The name didn't help any either."

"Why? What's wrong with your name?" he asked.

"Hermione isn't the most common name in the muggle world. Come to think of it, I've yet to meet anyone in our world either that has my name," she explained.

"I think that's perfectly fine. I'm the only Draco I know, which is perfectly fine by me. I'm glad you're the only Hermione I know. You're unique, just like your name. It's a perfect match," he told her. She smiled and kissed his cheek then said,

"Thanks Draco, you're really sweet. So anyways, this was from our trip to Brazil two summers ago and that one was just this past summer. Ron's family took us with them to visit his brother in Romania for two weeks. It was really amazing." There was a long silence, and Draco got nervous of what she was thinking.

"Do you miss your parents?" he asked quietly, watching as she longingly stared at their picture.

"I miss them a lot. Since the war ended, things have been better, but I still worry for them. They thought they lost me, and no one told them I was still alive. When I showed up at the beginning of the summer break, they thought they were seeing things. It was the most horrible experience they've ever had. I didn't want to come back this year, but they wanted me to finish my schooling and graduate..." she told him. Tears spilled silently from her eyes as she spoke. Draco hugged her tightly, wiping away the tears and said,

"You're so lucky to have parents who care for you so much." He knew that this was hurting her more than she could tell him, and his heart ached right alongside hers. Her pain was his pain, and he didn't want her to hurt.

"Let's go get some sleep," he told her quietly. He stood up, bringing Hermione with him, and pulled her close to him. They walked together up the stairs to her room and he waited as she combed through her hair once and climbed into her bed. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead gently, then whispered,

"Goodnight my love, sleep tight. I'll see you in the morning." She mumbled a sleepy goodnight back and watched as he left, looking back once as he shut the door and smiling. Hermione drifted into a deep, dream filled sleep almost immediately after he left.

The sound was so recognizable, so loud. Draco shot up out of bed and ran as fast as he could to Hermione's room. She was sitting upright in her bed screaming at the top of her lungs. Draco could tell by the blank look in her terrified eyes that she was still dreaming. He got on the bed and pulled her into his arms, holding her as tight as he could and saying,

"Hermione wake up. Hermione, it's me Draco. Come on now, wake up. It's just a dream, wake up." Her eyes came into focus and she was in hysterics. The screaming had turned into hysterical sobbing as she now clung to Draco like her life depended on it. He stroked her hair and said,

"Shh...It's going to be ok, everything's going to be fine...Hermione, you're ok. It's all going to be ok, I'm here. I'm right here." He lifted her chin so that he could look her in the eyes. They were bloodshot and tear filled, stricken with panic and fear. He looked her right in the eyes and whispered,

"Hermione listen to me. You're going to be fine. I won't let anything hurt you, ok? It's going to be alright." He held her tight and waited until she fell back asleep before he moved at all. He laid her down and pulled the blanket over her. He'd decided to stay with her just in case she woke up again, so he curled up under the covers and fell asleep slowly; making sure Hermione wasn't going to wake up again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Reactions

"HE ASKED YOU WHAT?" Ron shouted. The entire great hall turned to see what was going on, which made Draco highly uncomfortable.

"You heard me Ron, don't act stupid. Draco asked me to be his girlfriend. Why are you so upset about it anyways?" Hermione asked, blushing slightly.

In his head, Draco was still wondering why it was he needed to be there. She could have just as easily told them herself without him there, but she had insisted he come with her saying that "It's better to come and be there with me when I tell them than to have them find you somewhere in the castle by yourself and have you face them alone." He supposed she was right, but still he didn't want to stand there in the middle of the Great Hall at breakfast and watch the entire student body gawk at him and Hermione. Ron stood up furiously and with his voice still nearly shouting said,

"He's a slimy git Hermione, that's why! Wait; please tell me you didn't say yes to him?" She smirked at him and said,

"I did, and he's not a slimy git!" Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and said,

"Come on Hermione, let's get out of here. It's obvious that Weaselbee doesn't want us here."

"Weaselbee?" Ron shouted angrily.

"Draco be nice to him," Hermione warned.

"Don't bother sticking up for me Hermione; it's not going to make a difference anyways. Go ahead and run off with your stuck up, pure blood, whiny brat of a boyfriend. See if we care!" Ron shouted after them. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks, breaking free of Draco's grasp and walking back over to where Ron and Harry were sitting.

"Ronald Weasley don't you dare! If you think for one minute that you can try and guilt me into feeling sorry for you, you'd better think again! I don't have to listen to everything you tell me! Just because you think Draco's evil doesn't mean I have to! If you were really my friend you'd stop trying to control my life and move on already! It's nice to know I can trust my two best friends to be happy for me regardless of the situation!" she shouted, her voice growing louder with every sentence.

"Well it's not our fault that you care more about someone that hated us for six years than your best friends!" Ron screamed back at her.

"Stop trying to put this on me Ron! I'm not the one who rudely overreacted just because of something I was told! You're such a child! Always thinking of yourself and how everything can affect you! Grow up!" she screamed, then with an abrupt turn she stormed out of the Great Hall. No one dared to try and get in her way or stop her for fear of being hexed by the raging Head Girl.

"I tried to tell her that it was a bad idea to tell you right now, but she never seems to listen. I've noticed that a lot lately," Draco said, breaking the awkward silence that hung in the air around them. The other students went back to their breakfasts and gossiped. Draco was sure that if everyone hadn't heard it now, they would hear about it by lunch. Ron glared at his breakfast, completely ignoring Draco's comment. Harry was the one to speak up this time.

"Yeah, she tends to do that when she wants something done. It's one of the reasons we're both still alive today," he joked. Although Harry hated Malfoy he was willing to try and see eye to eye, for Hermione's sake. He patted the seat beside him, waiting for Malfoy to sit down. Hesitant, Draco sat down and began to fill a plate and eat.

"So how long have you two been together?" Harry asked casually. Ron grimaced at the question, still ignoring Draco's presence. Draco swallowed his food and said,

"I asked her last night actually. We've been on a few dates, but last night it was official."

"Oh that's nice. Well, I suppose you should go find her before she goes too far," Harry told him. Draco nodded and stood up, taking a plate of food with him for Hermione. He walked away, wondering why Potter was being so nice to him, but put it out of his mind as he made his way up to the common room. Hermione was sitting on the couch surrounded by books, her head currently buried in '101 Hexes for the Young Witch or Wizard' when he walked in.

"Hey, I brought you breakfast," he said sweetly, walking over and sitting down beside her. He set the plate on the table, shifting some books out of the way to make room for it. She was silent, hardly even noticing that he was there.

"Are you going to talk to me or should I go do something else and leave you to your books?" he asked, sounding slightly annoyed. Again, she was silent. He got up and said,

"Fine, I guess I'll leave you to your books then."

"Why did you stay?" she asked him harshly before he could get too far. He turned back to her and said,

"What do you mean?" She rolled her eyes and put down the book.

"When I left the Great Hall, why did you stay?"

"I uhm... I don't know," he replied, unsure of what to say.

"Probably just wanted to rub it in his face when I wasn't there," she muttered under her breath. Draco's eyes narrowed as he said,

"Is that really what you think of me? You think I would rub it in Weaselbee's face after you left and make him jealous or more upset? I thought you thought more highly of me than that Hermione."

"Draco you don't understand! Ron's been my friend for seven years. You don't know what it's like to have your best friend turn their back on you just because of something as trivial as this. He just doesn't understand," she told him angrily.

"Trivial? Is that what you think of our relationship? You think this whole thing is trivial?" he asked, the anger rising in his chest. He could feel a fight coming, and he wanted to do anything but fight with her right now.

"If I did, would I be here right now arguing with you over this? Draco you know I want this to work more than anything in the world, but I don't want to lose my best friends because of it. I won't be forced to choose between my best friends and the guy I like." He'd expected her to cry or get upset over this, but her eyes were dry and she was completely serious.

"I was talking with Potter. That's why I stayed behind. We talked and then I came up here looking for you. Weaselbee ignored me the entire time after you left. In case you were still wondering," he snapped, and then quickly walked away. He grabbed his broom and went back down to the common room, opening the window and flying off into the fresh morning air.

The Gryffindor team was holding their first round of tryouts on the Quidditch pitch when Draco flew over them. Potter and the Weasley girl were shouting instructions to the players like a well oiled machine, finishing each other's sentences and finally mounting their brooms and flying up into the air. The other players followed suit and he watched as they went through vigorous drills and exercises.

_The Slytherin team doesn't train half this hard normally, let alone do this for their tryouts. Maybe that's why Potter's team is always so good. _

Draco had always been jealous of him. Right from the day he was chosen as the Gryffindor seeker in first year. He knew he could never match up to the famous Harry Potter, Quidditch champion right from day one. He spotted Weaselbee hovering in front of the goalposts. He had been keeper the previous year and did a fair job at it for the most part. Beginners luck as Draco had called it. He watched as Weasley looked around and watched the players fly toward him. Katie Bell had the Quaffle and was racing toward him, poised to shoot, when he looked in Draco's direction. They made eye contact and the Quaffle collided with the side of his head, knocking him off his broom and pushing him through the goal. He fell backwards down to the ground and crumpled under the weight of his own body hitting the grass. He lay there unconscious and everyone froze. Katie and Harry flew to him, jumping off their brooms when they were close enough and dropping to the ground on either side of him. Before anyone could see him, Draco flew back toward the castle. Ginny flew past him hurriedly toward the castle, not bothering to shoot him a glare. Word would get around soon enough about Weaselbee.

"Hermione. I've got to tell her," he said to himself and raced back to the common room. Hermione hadn't moved since he left and she glared at him when he flew into the window and tossed his broom aside. She set down her book and said,

"What do you want Draco?" He looked at her with a panicked look in his eyes and said,

"It's Weaselb- I mean, Weasley. He got knocked off his broom and fell from the top goalpost. He was unconscious last I heard." Her eyes grew wide and she jumped up off the couch, knocking some of the books to the floor. They ran out of the common room and made their way to the hospital wing. Ron was out cold on a bed at the end of the room and Harry and Ginny were standing around him while Madame Pomfrey worked on him.

"Ron!" Hermione said as she ran up. Draco walked in slowly, unsure of whether he should be there or not. He'd been the one responsible for Weasley falling off him broom, but no one else knew. He stood at the far corner of the room and watched.

Ten minutes went by agonizingly slow and soon enough, Madame Pomfrey left the room.

"What happened Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I guess he got distracted. Katie was flying right at him and she threw the Quaffle hard and it hit him. He fell off his broom and through one of the hoops and he fell to the ground. That's all I know," he told her. Draco walked over and took Hermione's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He knew he should tell her, but he didn't want to risk it. They stayed for an hour, then left to go back to the common room. Hermione sat silently on the couch with a thick book while Draco sat on the floor beside her legs writing on a fresh piece of parchment. He was writing to his mother to tell her about Hermione.

"_Mother,_

_I'm sorry for not writing sooner, this term has been quite hectic so far. I hope that you and father are doing well. I can assume that he's still ranting on about the Ministry. It would be news to me if he's stopped. Speaking of news, I have some news for you. I am in a relationship with someone besides Pansy. Shocking, I know. Believe it or not, it's Hermione Granger. I know what you're thinking. She's a mudblood and I shouldn't want anything to do with her. I'm not dating her on a dare from Blaise either. She's a lot more interesting than I would have thought. She's quite smart and beautiful as well, and she can keep up with my sarcasm. She's the perfect girl for me. I only hope that you and Father will someday think the same. I will be awaiting your owl._

_Sincerely, your son Draco_."

"I'll be back soon. I'm just going to take this to the owlry," he told her. She nodded and returned to her book after he walked away. The corridors of Hogwarts were unusually quiet for a Sunday afternoon as Draco walked to the owlry. He gave the letter to his owl and watched as it flew off into the cloudy sky toward the Malfoy Manner. The walk back to the common room seemed to take longer, and when he finally reached it he could hear sounds coming from inside. He rushed in and saw Hermione sitting on the couch humming to herself. She must've been singing before he came in. He walked over and sat beside her, trying to think of something to say. He'd wracked his brain for nearly ten minutes before giving up and merely sitting there staring out into the dark, ominous sky. It hadn't started to rain yet, but he could feel it coming. The clouds were getting progressively darker as the moments passed, and he watched as the tree tops swayed in the wind.

. . . .

The rain was pounding against the windows as the night wore on. Draco lay awake on his bed, unable to sleep with all the noise. His mind wandered lazily as he lay there, just barely on the cusp of sleep. He thought of his parents and what their reaction would be to his letter. He wondered how long it would take before he could make himself tell Hermione that it was his fault Weaselbee fell off his broom, and how she'd react. She'd probably push him away and never want to talk to him again. He felt like he deserved for that to happen; like he didn't deserve her. He shook his head and rolled onto his side, facing the door and staring closely at the patterns in the wood. Following one of the patterns down to the bottom of the door, he noticed a soft glow shining through the space between the frame and the floor.

_The fire was nearly out when I came up here. Maybe Hermione's up still._

He slowly got up off the bed and made his way over to the door, being careful not to make too much noise. He couldn't hear anything, but saw the light coming from the bottom of the staircase get brighter as he walked down.

She was sitting with her back to him, facing the fire. The quill in her hand was moving slowly, writing the words precisely. She was concentrating on what she was writing, whatever it was.

"Hey," Draco said quietly, announcing himself. He knew she didn't like to be scared, especially after everything that happened during the war. Her head snapped around to see who had spoken, and her face softened a bit when she saw Draco standing in his pyjama's on the bottom stair smiling at her.

"What are you still doing up? I thought you were asleep already," she asked, turning back to her paper as he began to walk over. He sat down and said,

"Couldn't sleep I guess. My mind wouldn't shut up."

"That happens to me all the time. Most night's I can't sleep because of the nightmares," she admitted. He remembered her screaming in her sleep the night before and shuddered.

"Are they really bad?" he asked. He'd had nightmares too, but never had he woken up screaming from them. She set down the letter she'd been writing to her parents and tucked her legs beneath her, facing Draco. He never could have prepared himself for what she was about to tell him.

. . . .

He looked ready to be sick. His normally pale skin was white as a ghost and his eyes were full of fear. The horrid images ran through his mind on a never ending circuit and made him never want to close his eyes.

"Hermione...I never would have thought..." he managed to say. He couldn't find his voice. He saw the scar on her arm and quickly looked away. He'd been there when she was tortured and hadn't done a damn thing about it. He'd let his aunt Bellatrix torture her and carve the word onto her arm like some kind of animal without even giving it a second thought. He stood up without warning and ran up the stairs to his room. The cold tiles on the floor collided with his hands and knees as leaned over the toilet, his stomach churning. There was a knock at the door followed by Hermione's voice saying,

"Draco are you alright? What's going on?" He opened his mouth to reply but closed it immediately as the taste of bile rose in his throat.

. . . .

She could hear him through the door.

_I should go in there and help him! Wait, maybe I should just wait out here for him instead... I'll wait out here._

She walked over and sat on his bed, remembering the morning she woke up with his arm around her. Eyes closed, Hermione recalled the morning. The sun shining on her back warming her up, his warm shirtless chest beneath him, his arm wrapped protectively around her.

She was brought back to reality when she heard the bathroom door open and Draco's feet dragging loudly across the hardwood floors toward her. He looked horrible. His face was pale and sweaty, his hair an unruly mess on his head and his eyes hollow and empty. She stood up when he reached her, her eyes level with his chin, and looked up.

"Draco you should lie down," she told him. He shook his head and watched her give him a discerning look. He brushed away a stray brown curl from her face and let his hand fall back to his side. Hermione slid her arms around his waist and hugged him, being careful not to squeeze too tightly for fear of hurting him or making him sick again.

"You should get some sleep Hermione. I don't want you to be tired in the morning," he whispered, his voice hoarse. She walked them slowly backwards to the bed and sat down on the edge, pulling Draco down beside her and laying him down. He weakly brushed the scarred letters on her forearm and shuddered. She grabbed his hand and said,

"Don't think about it Draco, it wasn't your fault." He shook his head with all the strength he could muster and said,

"I did nothing to try and stop her. I just stood there. I don't deserve how nice you're treating me, and I don't deserve you. I'm just a worthless ex-death eater, forever damned by my past."

"Stop it, you know that's not true," she said forcefully.

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it-" Her lips were suddenly crushing against his, forcing him into silence. She pulled away and stared right into his eyes as she said,

"You listen to me carefully Draco. I know you think that your life is ruined forever because you were a death eater and you believe that all you'll ever be is a bad person, and that because of all of those reasons you think you don't deserve me. You are a good person Draco, I've seen it. Death eater or not, I'll still love you and you'll always deserve me. However, if you insist on continuing this attitude with me, I might have to be rid of you. I can handle a lot of things, believe me, I spent almost a year with Harry and Ron looking for horcruxes, but what I can't handle is you always believing these things."

He was panic stricken. The thought of losing Hermione was unbearable, and he was sent into a full on panic attack. He apologized over and over, feeling worse about himself than ever before. He'd brought this on himself and he had to fix it before it was too late.

Once again, he was silenced by the force of her lips against his. He'd become fond of her kissing him like this and was disappointed when it came to an abrupt halt. She sat straight up and paused momentarily before climbing over Draco and lying down next to him. He twined his fingers through hers and closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber within minutes. Hermione's mind wandered and eventually fell into the same light sleep she'd been doing every night for nearly a year now.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The letter from Lucius Malfoy

Two whole weeks had passed and still there was no sign of a reply from Draco's father. He became increasingly worried as the days wore on and by the next Monday, he'd begun to nervously ramble on to Hermione about what his father might say in the letter.

Hermione had become less tolerant of his self loathing and was constantly nagging him about it, now more than ever due to his lack of confidence about standing up to his father for a change. That night while Hermione was doing her Astronomy homework, a small tawny owl flew up and landed on the window sill, tapping its beak on the glass to get their attention. Draco took the letter from the owl, which flew away quickly, and sat back down on the chair opposite Hermione. He hesitantly opened the letter and began to read it out loud.

"_Draco Lucius Malfoy how dare you disgrace the Malfoy name in such a foul way! Being in any sort of relations with a filthy mudblood is completely unacceptable! I cannot believe that after all our family had suffered because of her and that wretched Potter that you would go about getting yourself caught up with that filth! I ought to disown you right this very moment! Your mother had an absolute fit when she received your letter! We thought we raised you better than this! If you believe for one minute that you will ever be allowed into this household again, you'd best think again unless you're willing to be rid of that mudblood Granger immediately. If you choose to go against your family and everything you know and stay with the mudblood, then all of your belongings will be sent to your vault in Gringotts and you can obtain it at the end of the school year. Choose wisely Draco, for this decision becomes final the moment I receive a reply._

_Lucius Malfoy." _

They were both fuming.

"How could they do this to you! It's completely unfair! I cannot honestly believe this!" Hermione shouted, her rage spiralling out of control quickly as the seconds passed by. Draco glared at the letter furiously, resentment building within him. He hated his father more than anyone in the world. What's worse, he had to make his decision soon. He knew his father and he would stop at nothing to ensure that Draco chose him over Hermione.

"He'll never stop if I don't reply soon. He'll come here if he needs to, just to make sure I choose him," he hissed, his voice filled with resentment. Hermione eyed him carefully and asked,

"What's your choice going to be Draco?"

"He's treated me like this my entire life. He bullied me into believing his pureblood views and never ceased to make my life a living hell. He's gone too far this time, and I won't put up with his sadistic bullshit anymore!"

He tore a fresh sheet of parchment from his bag and furiously began to scrawl a response.

"_Send my things to my vault in Gringotts. I'll never choose you and your pureblood, sadistic, death eater ass over Hermione! You can say goodbye to your only heir, because I never want to speak to either of you ever again!_

_Draco." _

The small owl was once again sitting on the window sill. Perhaps Lucius had given him instructions to stay until Draco replied. He strapped the letter to the owl and waited a moment after it flew away before closing the window. He sat back down in his chair and slouched, huffing an impatient breath and pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers in frustration.

"And to think, I thought Ron overreacted," Hermione stated. Draco rolled his eyes and leaned over his homework in an attempt to take his mind off of his father.

"Are you going to be ok?" she asked. He looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose I could say I'm a bit better now knowing that I won't have to deal with my father anymore," he told her. She nodded and added,

"You won't have to ask to come to my house for Christmas now either. The only thing you have to worry about really is finding a place after we graduate at the end of the year."

"I suppose you're right. I'll think about that more after the break I think, just to give myself some time to think things over and sort out my life," he said, merely thinking out loud for the last part.

"Right. Speaking of the break, I wrote to my parents last week and told them about you. They're really excited to meet you at Christmas," she told him, hoping to cheer him up a bit. He gave a small smile and went back to his homework in silence. She hated when he dropped the conversation like that, but knew it was best not to bring anything up.

By midnight, Hermione had gone to bed and Draco was left to himself. He couldn't help but think about the end of the year and what might happen. Hermione was applying for a job at the Ministry to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. At least that's what she told him anyways. He didn't really know what he was going to do. He had no desire to become an auror, but he had all the requirements to do it. That would allow him to work for the Ministry and be near Hermione.

He stopped thinking and stood up, stretching before he walked up to his bedroom. The warm sheets were welcoming as he crawled in and fell asleep.

. . . .

The snow was falling in large flakes from the steel blue sky as the November day passed by. It was a Hogsmeade trip and the two heads had patrol duty once again. It was a particularly nice day out for being so close to December, which Draco thought was odd but Hermione brushed off the comments and told him to enjoy the day.

They entered the Three Broomsticks just before they had to begin patrolling and saw Harry, Ron and Ginny sitting at a table by the window. Harry and Ginny waved to them and Ron gave a dismissive nod as the two heads grabbed their butterbeers and walked over.

"Hi Harry, hi Ginny. Ron," she greeted sounding slightly bitter when she acknowledged Ron.

"Hi Hermione. How've you been? I hardly see you anymore," Ginny asked. She then noticed that Hermione was clutching Draco's hand and frowned at the sight.

"I've been good. Really busy with all the homework, but I guess that's school for you. What about you?" she asked. Ginny shrugged her shoulders and said,

"Same old stuff. Homework and friends and all that. Just wondering, but when did this happen?" She pointed toward their hands and saw Ron stiffen slightly. She kicked her brother under the table and sent a death glare his way before turning her attention back to Hermione.

"It's been just about two months. Funny how time flies," she told her. Draco nodded, not making any attempts to join the conversation. She looked at her watch and continued.

"Speaking of time, we have to go and patrol. I'll see you around Ginny. Bye Harry, Ron," she said. Draco walked behind her as they walked out and noticed Ginny talking quickly at Harry and Ron.

"That went well," he said sarcastically as they made their way around the block.

"It went better than I thought it would, that's for sure. At least Ron had the decency to hold his tongue this time around. I'm surprised Ginny didn't know about us. I thought most of the school knew by now," she told him. They turned onto an empty street and walked past the store windows, seeing many of the other sixth and seventh years in them.

"Evidently it's not on the list for all of Hogwarts to gossip about. I'm quite thankful for that actually. I'd rather not have to spend my days being stared at and whispered about," he added. They walked down all the streets and looped around to head down by the Shrieking Shack. They were almost past the tree line when they heard people talking. Draco went to walk out, but Hermione stopped him when she recognized the voices. It was Harry and Ron. She'd caught Ron mid sentence and began to listen.

"...felt the same way for five years Harry! It's not something I can just get over."

"Well I figured you were over it after Lavender last year, but i guess I figured wrong," Harry said. He didn't sound too pleased, and neither did Ron.

"And now she's with that slimy git Malfoy and there's nothing I can do about it." Hermione's grip on Draco became tighter as she felt him start to move. She looked up at him and whispered,

"Don't Draco; just wait here for a second. I have a plan." He sighed and she released him, walking around him and coming into view. He stayed silent and watched as she made her way over to her two friends.

"Hermione what are you doing down here, I thought you were patrolling?" Harry asked. She walked up to them and stopped then replied,

"I am. Draco had to break up a fight over by Zonko's and I came down to check here. Normally there's no one here, but I always check just in case." Harry and Ron were both silent. This made Draco slightly uneasy, but he stayed put. If Hermione had a plan, he trusted that she knew what she was doing. She broke the silence and continued.

"What exactly are you two doing down here anyways? I would have thought you two would be down at Honeydukes." There was a brief second of silence before someone spoke again. To her surprise, Ron spoke.

"We were having a private conversation actually, so if you don't mind, we'd like to finish our conversation," he snapped. The first time he'd spoken to her in two months and that's what he says. Draco was infuriated, his hand on his wand ready to intervene at any moment. Hermione stayed calm and said,

"I'm sorry, I was just doing my job and making sure there weren't any students misbehaving."

"Don't worry about it Hermione, Ron's just in a bad mood, that's all," Harry told her. She eyed Ron and said,

"Well, there's only about ten minutes left until we need to head back to the castle, so we might as well all leave together." She put her hands behind her back and waved at Draco to come forward. He took out his wand and walked slowly until he reached the edge of the tree line.

"There you are Hermione. You always seem to run off when I'm not looking," he said casually, hiding the fact that he'd just listened to their entire conversation. He walked up and slid his hand into Hermione's, standing protectively beside her. Ron glared daggers at him and Harry looked slightly unsettled as he said,

"Come on Ron, let's head back. I have an essay to work on that I need to finish." Harry began to walk, but stopped when Ron didn't follow.

"You go on; I want to have a word with Hermione. Alone," he snapped, looking directly at Draco. Hermione looked up at him and said,

"I'll be fine, you go ahead. I'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks when I'm done, ok?" He nodded, and then kissed her once before walking away. Ron grimaced at the sight and waited until the two were out of sight to begin.

"What is it you want Ron?" she asked him, her voice crisp and annoyed. He shifted his weight to the other leg and said,

"I want to know something from you." She nodded and he continued,

"At the battle last year, we kissed in the tower. What happened?"

"What do you mean what happened Ron?" He sighed impatiently and said,

"Well, I assume you remember snogging me in the tower right before Harry went off to sacrifice himself to Voldemort and save us all. After the battle was over, you acted like it never happened. So now I'm asking you why you pretend like it never happened when it did."

"Yes I remember it Ron. What exactly are you getting at here?" she asked impatiently, wanting to get back up to Draco.

"What I'm getting at is that... Well, you know what I mean..." he muttered. She rolled her eyes and said,

"Spit it out already Ronald. If you have something to say to me, just say it."

"I'm in love with you Hermione! There, I said it. Now you know." She eyed him suspiciously, debating whether it was true or not.

"Well I suppose it's too late for that now then, isn't it. Listen Ron, I did love you. I loved you from third year until the night you disappeared while we were looking for horcruxes last year. You left, and I was heartbroken. Draco's who I love now Ron and you should accept it and move on."

"I'm never giving up on you Hermione. I'll get you back, even if it ruins everything, I'm going to get you back," he told he angrily. She put a hand on his shoulder and said,

"Ron, you never had me. We're friends, but that's all we'll ever be." He blinked a few times and watched as she lowered her arm and walked away from him.

As she walked away, she searched her mind for any sign of feelings toward Ron, and found nothing. Only hurt and broken memories of what could have been. She spotted Draco standing in front of the Three Broomsticks and walked quickly over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. They walked back toward the castle, all the while her words echoed in her ears.

**Hey everyone, Steph here. Sorry it's such a short chapter, but i had to cut it off short so i could make the next chapter . I promise the next chapter will make up for this one! ~Steph~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Steph here again with Chapter 7 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair. Sorry it took so long to put this chapter up. Writers block struck half way through, but it will be worth the wait to read, trust me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. If i did, i wouldn't be writing this awesome fanfiction! Enjoy!**

Chapter 7: Christmas with the Grangers

She took his hand and held it tightly; walking down the corridor and catching the strange glances people gave them as they walked past the compartment windows. They were headed for the front of the train to find a compartment to sit in on their way to Kings Cross Station from Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. All of Draco's nerves were on edge today, which made him jumpy and abnormally untalkative. In a few short hours, he would be meeting Hermione's parents for the first time. She'd reassured him that it would be fine and to not worry so much about it, but he was still nervous.

They'd come to a stop in the doorway of Harry, Ron and Ginny's cabin on their way.

"Have a good Christmas you guys. I'll write to you tomorrow if I can," she told them with a smile on her face. Genuine happiness filled her as she wished her friends a happy Christmas and continued to walk down the empty corridor with Draco. There weren't a lot of students returning home for the holidays this year, so they easily slipped into one of the vacant cabins. Draco sat down first while Hermione put her bag up and got settled, then sat down beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

This time last year, Hermione had spent the whole day sulking and wondering where Ron was, breaking down into tears every hour or two from over thinking. This year was going to be completely different. She had a boyfriend, her parents knew where she was and that she was safe, and for the first time in a long time, she was actually happy. The snowy scenery sped by them as the train headed through the open fields of Scotland toward London.

For most of the ride, they talked about her family. Hermione did a majority of the talking, which Draco didn't mind in the least. He enjoyed listening to her talk for some reason. It was comforting to him in a sense. After she'd finished explaining her family to him, they were both silent.

. . . .

It was a short walk from Kings Cross Station to Hermione's house. A small neighborhood began to pop up on either side of them as they walked along the sidewalk. A few muggles passed by them, some recognizing Hermione as neighbors and saying hello as they walked. They stopped in front of a small two story house. It was all white with dark blue shutters and a large oak door. Hermione led them up to the door and walked right in.

"Mum, dad, I'm home!" she said excitedly after shutting the door. A woman with long, straight black hair entered and ran up to Hermione, pulling her into a hug and saying,

"Welcome home sweetheart! We've missed you so much already! Alan, come in here, Hermione's home!" A man just slightly taller than Draco entered and his face lit up at the sight of his daughter. His curly brown hair reminded him of Hermione's as they embraced each other in a hug. Alan held out a hand to Draco and said,

"You must be Draco. I'm Alan, and this is my wife Melissa." Draco shook his hand with a firm grip and formally said,

"Nice to meet you Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger." He chuckled and clapped Draco on the shoulder while saying,

"Quite the formal young man you've got here Hermione. Just call me Alan son. Any friend of Hermione's is a friend of ours." Hermione blushed and Melissa said,

"Alan honey you know he's Hermione's boyfriend." Draco and Hermione both blushed at the term. They'd hardly ever used it before, but they never really knew why.

"I'm only kidding dear, I know who he is. Well, come on in you two and make yourselves comfortable. Hermione why don't you show Draco where the guest room is?" Alan suggested. Hermione nodded and grabbed Draco by the hand, towing him behind her up the stairs. The second floor had tall pointed ceilings which gave it a more open feel rather than being enclosed in an attic. There were four doors, two on either side of the hallway.

"This is the bathroom, that's my parent's bedroom, and here's the guest room," Hermione explained, opening the door directly across from the only room she hadn't given a label to. He assumed it was her room, but couldn't be sure because the door was closed.

The guest room had a bed that was slightly bigger than the one's in the house dormitories. The dark wooden furniture contrasted with the slightly off white walls, giving the room a bright look. The shelf was filled from top to bottom with books, most of which Draco didn't recognize. He set his bag down on the edge of the bed and turned to the bookshelf, skimming through the first few rows before stopping and pulling out a small paperback book.

"I loved Wuthering Heights; it was some of the better muggle literature I've read. I love most of Shakespeare's work actually," he told Hermione, who was watching him with fascination.

"I didn't know you read Shakespeare?" she said, taking the book from him and sliding it back into its place on the shelf.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me Hermione. Some of them aren't what you'd expect from a former Death Eater," he told her, his voice innocent while still being daunting. She had so many questions, but she couldn't figure out how to ask them. Maybe later tonight she would ask him. Hermione's mother called them down for tea, which slightly irritated her because she wanted to ask Draco what exactly it was that she didn't know about him. He took her hand and kissed her cheek before walking back out to the hallway. The entered the living room and saw Alan and Melissa sitting on the couch with a tray of hot tea in front of them. They sat down on the loveseat across from her parents, both feeling slightly awkward, when Melissa said,

"Oh, I've forgotten the sugar. I'll be right back."

"It's ok mum, I'll get it," Hermione quickly said, pulling out her wand and flicking it. The sugar flew into the room and landed on the table in front of them. Both of her parents looked amazed and Draco looked shocked.

"Hermione, I thought we aren't allowed to do magic in front of muggles?" he asked as she put her wand back into her sweater.

"They're my parent's, so I'm allowed to every once in a while. It's only because they know about magic and have sworn to keep it a secret," she told him.

"So, how was your first couple months back at school? Anything interesting happen?" Alan asked them. Hermione sipped her tea and said,

"It was great, but Harry and Ron didn't take my relationship with Draco too well."

"Oh, well that's too bad. I always liked Harry; he seemed very modest considering he's famous in your world," Melissa told her. Hermione remembered what Ron had told her on their trip to Hogsmeade and stiffened slightly. She felt Draco squeeze her hand and looked over at him. She shook her head slightly at his questioning look and turned back to her tea.

. . . .

After dinner that night, Hermione's parents left to go for coffee with some friends, leaving the two heads alone in her house. They were sitting on the couch reading when Hermione asked,

"What don't I know about you?" He was caught off guard slightly by the question, but closed his book and set it on the table.

"That depends. What do you want to know about me?"

There were so many things she wanted to know about him, but where to start? Childhood. That was an easy topic. It could act as a gateway topic to other things.

"Tell me about your childhood. What was it like growing up for you?" The question reminded her of a therapist asking a patient to explain their youth to try and find the source of their psychological problems.

"Well, I was born on June 5th at St. Mungo's. My father wasn't there because there was an emergency meeting at the Ministry that he had to attend. I spent my entire youth being taught about our pureblood heritage by my father when he wasn't working. I also learned how to fly when I was seven, and I was pretty decent at it. I have always been an only child, and I never really spent much time with my cousins. Tonks was older than me and she didn't particularly like me. I was a bit arrogant when I was young. Although I enjoyed the spoils of being an only child, I was extremely lonely. I've always wanted a younger sister."

Hermione stared at him.

"Why didn't your parents ever have more kids?" she asked. He breathed in and continued,

"My parents only had as many children as they saw necessary to carry on the family name. Since I was a boy and their first born, they didn't see a need for any more children. Believe me, I asked them all the time. I begged every day for close to three years for a sibling, but they wouldn't budge. I was always jealous of the kids at school who had siblings."

She knew the feeling. Hermione had always wanted a little sister or brother; someone who looked up to her. The sadness on Draco's face was noticeable and he tried to hide it without success. She took his hand and he continued.

"By my eleventh birthday, I was almost intolerable. I was so obnoxious and arrogant because of all those years of my father telling me how much better my family was than everyone else's. I knew I would be in Slytherin from the very beginning because most of my family had been in Slytherin and those who weren't had ever been close with the family. I've spent the past six years of school attempting to impress my father with little success. The only time he was ever proud of me was the day I was chosen by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore and became a Death Eater. I wanted to turn down the offer, but I was so blinded by my need to impress my father that I said yes and I regret every moment of it."

"You're a better person now because of it though. You know, I believe that everything that happens in life happens for a reason and that when those things happen, they happen to help shape who we are. I wouldn't change a thing about my life so far, because I know that if I changed anything I wouldn't be here right now with you." She leaned her head on his shoulder and waited for him to say something.

"I would change one thing about my life. Well, make that two things," he told her.

"What would those two things be?" she asked.

"Second year when I called you a mudblood for the first time and then in third year when I got clawed by Buckbeak," he admitted.

"Why getting clawed by Buckbeak? What would that change?"

"I did it to impress you. Obviously I failed, but that's beside the point. When Harry landed, I knew everyone was amazed and I wanted to impress you by doing the same. I bumped you on my way through the crowd to make sure you were watching me, but I went about getting to Buckbeak the wrong way and got myself clawed. I felt like I'd done my job when I heard you telling Hagrid to get me to the hospital wing. I felt like you cared whether I lived or not." She watched him with wide eyes, in shock of the story. She'd always thought he was just being an arrogant jerk and trying to impress his friends.

"I should've just done the smart thing and gotten up the courage to tell you then instead of waiting four more years. I'm not as bright as I make myself out to be most times," he told her. She smirked at him and watched the corners of his lips turn up into a smile.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked, fearing what he might be thinking.

"You smirked at me. It was a Malfoy worthy smirk as far as I'm concerned. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I'm starting to rub off on you," he told her. She blushed and said,

"Maybe you are. So, is there anything else I should know about you? Tell me something that you've never told anyone before."

"Ok, I'll tell you something if you tell me something. Deal?" he asked. She nodded, knowing exactly what she would say. He thought hard for something that he'd never told anyone else.

"When I was eight years old, my father and I got into a huge argument over something to do with me flying around the house. I was upset and went for my mother, but he wouldn't let me go. I struggled and he hit me, so I grabbed my broom and my rucksack and ran away. I flew from my house all the way to my Aunt Andromeda's house. I was gone for nearly two weeks before they found me. I've never told anyone else about it," he explained. She shook her head and said,

"That's horrible. Ok, now for mine. Hmm..." She pretended to think for a moment before saying,

"When Harry, Ron and I were searching for horcruxes last year, Ron left us because he thought Harry and I liked each other and were secretly dating behind his back. He came back after Christmas and I almost killed him, but he'd helped Harry destroy a horcrux so I didn't. I'd liked Ron since fourth year but after he disappeared on us like that, I lost all feelings for him. He's become really bitter ever since we started dating too, which makes me like him less as a friend."

"I just remembered something I was meaning to ask a while ago. What exactly did Weaselb- I mean Ron; say to you that day at Hogsmeade when he talked to you alone? You never did tell me and I just assumed you didn't want to talk about it right then, so I never asked," he asked her. Something flashed across her eyes quickly, and she looked away.

_Was that guilt? Why would she be guilty about what he said to her? Unless..._

"Hermione, what did he say? Or should I ask what did he do?" he asked, his voice slightly bitter. She looked back at him and said,

"He told me he loved me. He said that he would do whatever it took to get me, and that he didn't care who it hurt or what it would ruin to do it. I know you don't like him, so I didn't want to tell you. I knew you'd get angry and go find him if I did."

"Of course I'd get angry! He's trying to steal the girl I love away from me! I can tell you this much, he won't succeed in his little plan if I can help it," he growled.

"You won't hurt him, will you? I know he's being like this but he doesn't deserve to be hurt any more than he already is," she pleaded. His eyes were narrowed in thought, making Hermione even more anxious.

_Damn that Weasel! If only there was some way to get back at him good without hurting him or upsetting Hermione... What if... No, it's too soon. Still, it would work. It would annoy the hell out of Weaselbee and Potter. Maybe I can make this work to my advantage, what with Christmas only days away. _

"I'm sorry Hermione, I over reacted. I should have known Weasley would do something like that. It just caught me off guard, that's all," he told her in an apologetic tone. She questioned his apology momentarily before sighing and hugging him.

"I forgive you. I should have just told you when it happened instead of waiting so long."

. . . .

The next few days were spent helping Hermione's mother complete her Christmas baking and doing last minute Christmas shopping. Draco had become fascinated and slightly annoyed by the Muggle mall that Hermione had taken him to. He enjoyed the shopping part, but didn't so much enjoy all the people. For a reason Hermione had yet to coax out of him, Draco also seemed to take a strange fascination to Muggle money. He'd collected it throughout his youth, but never had any reason to spend it until now.

"I'm going to go look for a gift for you. Are you sure you'll be ok by yourself for a while?" she asked him.

"I'll be fine Hermione, I'm a big boy. If anyone bothers me I can always just-"

"You won't use magic on anyone. Even if we are of age, we still shouldn't use magic on Muggles. Promise you'll restrain yourself?" she interrupted, pleading slightly. He pouted, but eventually said,

"Oh alright, I promise." She kissed his cheek and waved, walking in the opposite direction of him. He walked aimlessly for a while before coming across a jewellery store. One of the display cases was full of glittering rings and necklaces with matching earrings and all sorts of things. Draco was admiring one of the watches when something caught his eye. He walked over and examined it closely through the glass case when a woman walked up behind the counter and said,

"Beautiful, isn't it. It's one of the newer selections we've received for the holidays. Were you looking for a gift for someone of just browsing?" Draco straightened up and replied,

"I'm looking for a ring for my girlfriend for Christmas. Something along the lines of engagement actually." The woman smiled and said,

"Well then, you certainly have a wonderful eye. These ones over here are from one of the summer engagement sets, and the ones you were just looking at are this season's winter collection. We just got them in last week." Draco returned a smile and pointed to the one he'd had his eye on, saying,

"I was looking at this one, and I think she would really love it." She pulled the box out of the case and set it up on the counter.

"She's one lucky girl, that's for sure. So, would you like to get this one then?" she asked. He smiled and nodded, following her to the till.

Ten minutes and one ring later, Draco walked out of the store back toward the meeting place he and Hermione had agreed on. She was sitting on the bench waiting for him, reading one of the books she'd brought along. There was a large bag sitting on the floor by her feet with a label he didn't recognize on it. He'd hidden the ring box in his coat pocket so she wouldn't suspect anything.

"Ready to go?" he asked. She looked up from her book and smiled, picking up the bag and taking his hand with her free one.

. . . .

"Hermione, will you help me with the table? You're cousins will be here any moment!" her mother shouted from the dining room. Hermione and Draco had been reading in the spare room when her mother called her. She reluctantly put her book down and kissed Draco before heading downstairs.

Hermione's entire family was coming over for New Years Eve. She was about as thrilled as Draco, just from what she'd told him about them. The ring box was in his pocket and it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. He was nervous as ever about tonight, and wanted everything to be perfect. He'd had it all planned out since he bought the ring, and everything was ready to go. He'd spoken to her father, posing a convincing argument when he said that it was all so sudden. Her father was accepting and he'd told her mother about it, saving Draco one more thing to do.

He saved the place in his book and walked out of the room, leaning over the railing and listening to Hermione complain to her mother about her cousins.

"Hermione, you haven't seen any of your family in almost four years. I think they've all grown up enough to put the past behind them," Melissa told her.

"You don't know that mum. They can be a nasty bunch, especially toward me. I can just hear the ridiculing when they see Draco. I love him, but they won't. He can come off as very self-absorbed sometimes," she argued. He loved hearing her say she loved him, even if she wasn't saying it directly to him.

"Just trust me dear, they'll learn to love him. Your father and I think he's a wonderful young man. He seems perfect for you." Draco made his way downstairs and entered the kitchen saying,

"Need any help in here?" Hermione smiled and Melissa said,

"I believe we do. Why don't you and Hermione finish with the cutlery and I'll try and get Alan in here and help with the food." They nodded and she left the room. Hermione handed Draco some cutlery and they made their way around the table, setting it out and talking as they went.

"So have you enjoyed your holidays so far?" he asked. She nodded and set down another knife while saying,

"Absolutely. Christmas was wonderful, and New Years Eve has always been my favorite part of the holidays."

"That's good, I'm glad you've had a good time. What exactly is your favorite part of New Years Eve anyways?" he asked.

"The last ten seconds where everyone counts down. It feels magical because you've just lived another year and started a new one fresh. This one will be really special though," she told him.

_You have no idea how right you are, Hermione._

"Why's that?" he asked, finishing the last of the cutlery. She placed the last set and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and saying,

"I'm starting a new year with the guy I love. It really means a lot to me that you're here." He smiled at her, his eyes melting in her big brown ones, and kissed her once. The doorbell rang and both of them were instantly nervous.

"Here goes nothing," she whispered to him, clutching his hand.

"Here goes nothing," he repeated.

_Here goes everything Hermione; If only you knew._

People slowly began to make their way into the house, most of them going for the living room to socialize and catch up. Hermione and Draco walked hand in hand into the living room and stayed close to one of the walls to avoid confrontation. Sadly, their efforts were fruitless.

"Hey Hermione, long time no see!" laughed a girl who was just slightly shorter than Hermione with curly, dirty-blonde, shoulder length hair and green eyes. She wrapped Hermione in a hug and she replied,

"Yeah Ellie, it has been a while. Four years goes by fast, doesn't it?"

"Oh absolutely. Who's the guy? He one of your friends from school?" she asked, eyeing Draco. He gave her a small smile and held out a hand while saying,

"I'm Draco, nice to meet you. Ellie, right?" She shook his hand and replied,

"Yep! Draco, that's an interesting name. I like it." She saw Hermione's hand clutching Draco and laughed lightly.

"Oh, I see what's going on here. Well, I'm going to go get a drink so I'll talk to you guys later," she politely informed them before walking into the kitchen.

"She's the one who was with you in the picture, isn't she?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, Ellie and I have always been closer than any of my other cousins. She loves books so we have something in common, but that's about all," she told him. He nodded a couple times, looking around at all the other people in the room. Most were older than the two of them, which made Draco feel slightly awkward.

After making their way around to most of the people, it was time for dinner. Draco, Hermione and Ellie were sharing the living room with her cousin's Mason, Alex and Kim. For most of the time, they all just talked about school and their friends, leaving Draco and Hermione to talk to each other.

Draco was counting down the hours until midnight came, and was becoming more and more anxious as every hour passed. With only a minutes and a half left, he was full on panicking. Hermione grabbed him by the hand and pulled him off to the study to try and calm him down.

"What's wrong Draco? You're acting like you're going to be attacked or something," she asked, sitting down on the small couch next to him. Her hand was near the ring box and Draco moved away from her slightly, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"Draco please tell me what's going on," she pleaded. When he didn't look at her, she took him by the sides of his face and forced him to look at her. Her eyes begged for an answer, and he saw that there were only thirty more seconds left. He stalled until he heard everyone counting down from ten, then slid down onto one knee in front of Hermione and pulled out the box. Her eyes were wide and she covered her gaping mouth with her hands as he said,

"Hermione Jane Granger, I love you and I'm hoping you'll say yes, so here goes everything. Will you marry me?"

"Five, four, three-" everyone from the living room counted down.

"Draco I- Yes! Yes, absolutely yes!" she blurted. He smiled and kissed her as everyone shouted,

"Happy New Year!" He slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up, pulling her up with him. She jumped into his arms and kissed him again. They broke apart, their breathing heavy, and Draco said,

"Happy New Year Hermione."

"Happy New Year Draco," she replied. He hugged her tightly and simply stayed there, taking in the moment.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's chapter 8! hope you all like it! **

Chapter 8: Rumors

Hogwarts; a place of sanctuary and protection. Protection, that is, from everything outside the castle's walls. Inside Hogwarts however, it's an entirely different story. Rumors spread faster than wildfire and are believed so easily that the truth often becomes lost in the lies. Whispers circulate through the halls. "I heard that they-" "Yeah, well my friend told me that he was with-" "How can they actually be-" "Well I heard that it isn't true and that-". It never ends. Eventually something else will come along and take over the previous rumor, but some things just can't be topped. Draco had known from the start that even just being with Hermione would cause an uprising in the rumor world, but he never imagined it would be like this after word got around about their engagement.

In all the years Hermione had wished for attention, she'd never regretted that wish more than now. They'd arrived back at the castle two days before the new term started and were ambushed by questions about their holiday. Luckily, her robes covered most of her hands and the ring so she made it through most of the first day unscathed, but the next morning at breakfast the unthinkable happened.

Draco and Hermione were sitting eating their breakfast with Harry and Ron as usual when she reached out to grab a slice of toast and her sleeve pulled up off her hand. The ring caught a bit of sunlight and glimmered brightly in Ron's face, causing him to stare blankly at it. They all watched as his face changed from one shade of red to another before he exploded.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT?" he shouted, pointing to the ring. Hermione went red, pulling her hand away and hiding it under the table. Naturally, most of the Gryffindor table sauntered over to see what was happening. Today, the entire great hall was crowded around them to listen in on the conversation that was sure to go down in Hogwarts history.

Draco, who was seated opposite Ron, looked highly unimpressed at the tone Ron had used. He made it sound like Hermione had a Blastended Skrewt for a hand.

"None of your business Ron, just stay out of it," she snapped at him. He looked horridly offended and practically threw his plate aside.

"None of my business? How is that bleeding thing none of my business? I figured maybe you'd let your best friends know that you're ENGAGED to the biggest git the world has ever had the displeasure of knowing! But I guess your precious Draco is more important than your best friends!" he shouted. His rage reverberated off the walls, making him seem like he had charmed his voice to be magically magnified.

"You two are engaged? Blimey Hermione, what kind of spell does Ferret have you under?" Ginny asked, sounding more disgusted than shocked. She'd been sitting just down the table from them, and had made her way through the crowd to stand next to her brother.

"For both of your information, he doesn't have me under any spell! And I still fail to see how it's any of your business," Hermione retaliated. She wasn't pleased with the uproar one tiny ring had caused, but she wasn't going down without a fight.

"Hermione, I'm all for you and Draco and you know that, but this really seems suspicious to me. Maybe that's just me, I don't know," Harry told her honestly. To think, she'd always thought Harry would be the more accepting one of the two. Ron and Harry stood up, but didn't leave. Draco stood up and was about to tell them all to get over themselves when Ron lunged at him from across the table.

Fists were flying and both boys were shouting profanity after profanity until they eventually became a raging blur on the ground between the two tables. Flashes of red and blonde hair emerged from the blur of black robes as they struggled to overtake one another. The students around them were chanting fight when Harry jumped in and tackled down Ron, pinning him to the floor. Hermione grabbed Draco and used all her strength to hold him back against the table.

Draco's nose had been broken and both of his eyes were beginning to bruise, blood streaming down his face. Ron had a black eye with a cut just below it and his bottom lip swelling fast. Hermione and Harry hauled the two boys up onto their feet. Ron lunged at Draco again, but was stopped by Harry's arms clenching tightly around him, preventing him from breaking anything else. Hermione quickly led Draco through the mass of students and out of the Great Hall, Harry and Ron following them as they made their way to the hospital wing.

Ginny came running after them, slowing to walk with Harry and Ron. They whispered in hushed voices the entire time, and when they finally reached the hospital wing they were put in beds on separate sides of the room. Ron shot daggers at Hermione and Draco the entire time, not even wincing as his injuries were healed. Madame Pomfrey came over and treated Draco, fixing his nose and healing the bruises that were forming around his eyes.

"Oh, you've got blood on your shirt. Here, _tergeo_," Hermione said worriedly, walking in front of him and partially blocking his view of Ron. He watched her fuss over him in an attempt to distract himself, and listened to her rant.

"He had no right to lunge at you like that. It was completely barbaric and immature. He's never going to stop," she told him angrily. He grabbed her hands and said,

"Hey, listen to me for a second here ok? I'm fine now, and I know he's never going to stop. We can handle him though. If he's not going to stop, then we're going to fight back. She looked alarmed and he clarified,

"We're not actually going to fight him. I meant it theoretically. I will do everything in my power to make sure he doesn't ruin this." She looked down at their hands wrapped tightly together, the ring sitting delicately on her finger, and sighed. She hugged him carefully to avoid his freshly healing injuries. Draco watch Ron over Hermione's shoulder as he hugged her, noticing that for the first time since they'd entered the room, he flinched.

. . . .

It had been almost two weeks since the Great Hall incident and the rumors were becoming more and more obscene as the days went by. Hermione and Draco spent most of their time in their dormitory when they weren't in class because of the whispers, stares and constant questions to confirm a rumor someone had heard.

"It's completely ridiculous. Don't they have better things to do than gossip about us?" Draco complained as they sat doing their homework. It was a Friday night and they couldn't even leave their dorm to go somewhere.

"Evidently not. I heard four different versions of a rumor today from Lavender and Pavarti alone. Apparently you asked me to marry you because I'm having your child. Either that or we did it to save our lives from a new dark lord, your father told us to or you have some evil master plan that I don't know about and I'm just a pawn in the scheme," she told him. All of the rumors sounded ridiculous, but they couldn't help but think about whether one of the rumors could be true.

"These people have no lives if that's what they're going to gossip about. All of those rumors are completely idiotic. A new dark lord, my father and a master plan of my creation are all bad enough, but a child? Now that's completely off the map," he ranted.

_A child! Honestly, what will people think of next! We're still in school and we're both just barely of age. I haven't even been seventeen for a full year yet! The nerve of some people..._

"I agree. It's like they don't even know who they're talking about. I mean sure, you've gained the title of the Slytherin Sex God, but still," she told him.

"I'd completely forgotten about that! Wow, that probably doesn't help our situation one bit. You know Pansy just made those stories up to boost her popularity and make people jealous of her. She's quite conceited. I've never slept with her before, or anyone for that matter. My parents raised me better than that, although they didn't do much better on anything else," he confessed. Shock filled Hermione's mind.

"So those were all rumors too? None of it was true?" she asked.

"Not one. I only went along with it because it boosted my reputation for a while." He spoke nothing but the truth, which shocked Hermione even more. That changed her entire outlook on him. She knew he was nice, but in the back of her mind she'd always remembered the fact that he was the Slytherin Sex God and to not let her guard down too much.

"Well, that's good to know then. It changes a lot, that's for sure," she told him. He chuckled and said,

"It changes things, does it? What, did you always believe those stories?"

"It's just good to know you're not the person I believed you were for all these years," she explained. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What's that supposed to mean? You really believed that I slept with all those girls?" She brushed her hair behind her ear and shyly said,

"Well, I'd never heard anything else so I had nothing else to believe. I wanted to believe differently, but I had nothing to go off of."

"What difference would it make if it were true or not? I don't see what it would change," he asked.

_She's hiding something from me, I just know it. There's something she doesn't want me to know. Something she's not telling me..._

He looked her in the eyes and said,

"What are you thinking? I can't read your mind, so you have to tell me." Her cheeks flushed a deep red and she tried to look away, but he had her locked in his gaze. He took her hands; his touch sent a shiver down her spine. He was so gentle and careful.

"That was always something I feared about you. I was afraid to be with you because I thought I would just be another Pansy, and I didn't want that," she confessed. He shook his head and pulled her into a hug while saying,

"You're not Pansy. You're the furthest thing from her, and I'm grateful for that. I'm not that kind of guy Hermione, and you know that. You know why I proposed to you, don't you?" She pulled away, looking into his eyes as he continued.

"I proposed to you on New Year's Eve at exactly ten seconds to midnight because I wanted to end the year with a question and start the year with an answer. I did it because I love you and don't want anything to come between us. You mean the whole world to me Hermione."

Hermione took the necklace she'd been wearing off and slid the ring off, putting it back on her finger.

"I'm going to wear it properly. Who cares what everyone else thinks," she said with determination. He smiled at her and kissed her once then opened his book and finished his homework.

. . . .

"Here she comes! Go Ron, now's your chance!" Ginny and Harry told him, pushing him toward the library doors. Hermione was walking by herself toward the library when Ron walked out in front of her and stopped her.

"Hermione can I talk to you for a minute?" he blurted, getting his question out before she could walk away. She rolled her eyes and said,

"What do you want Ronald?"

"I was actually hoping we could talk privately, if you don't mind?" he asked. She huffed and inpatient sigh then followed him. They walked silently to the Astronomy tower and by the time they reached the top, Hermione was all but raging on him.

"Ok Ron, we're here now what do you want?" she snapped angrily.

"We need to talk about something, but you have to promise you won't get angry or try and hex me for what I'm about to say. Promise?" he asked. She nodded once, waiting for an explanation as to why he'd dragged her half way across the castle just to talk. He cleared his throat and began.

"I've been thinking a lot lately and I realized that I over reacted that day at breakfast. I shouldn't have punched Malfoy and I never got the chance to fully apologize for it. I also have a question for you."

"What exactly would that be?" she asked curtly.

"Why did he propose to you? There has to have been an ulterior motive behind it. I mean come on, it's Malfoy we're talking about here," he asked. The anger boiled up inside her as she said,

"There's no ulterior motive Ron, that's the point! We love each other, that's why he proposed to me! And I still don't understand why you dragged me across the entire freaking castle just to tell me that you think Draco has an ulterior motive!" He walked right up to her and took the book from her hands, setting it down on the floor beside them.

"You know where we are, right?" he asked.

"Of course I know where we are Ron! I'm not stupi-" she began, but stopped. They were in the Astronomy Tower. The exact place where they'd kissed the year before. Sudden realization washed over her and before she could say anything else, Ron's lips were on hers. She tried to fight it, but he'd gotten stronger over the summer and she couldn't escape his grip. She resisted, but remembered the way it felt the year before. The kiss was so full of longing and emotion. For the slightest moment, she thought she felt something.

Her arms slid around his neck and she kissed him back. Four years of longing for a kiss that would never come and having her heart torn apart at the seams when he left was what she felt as he kissed her. It was different than kissing Draco, but not a good different. She felt the guilt building inside of her with every passing second.

Unable to take the guilt anymore, she broke apart from him, grabbed her book and ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She headed straight for her dorm without even looking back to check if he was following him. She didn't care if he was; she just had to get away. When she reached the portrait hole, she had tears streaming down her cheeks. She said the password and went straight in; ignoring the portraits questions, and went straight to her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and sank down against it. She could hear footsteps coming from the staircase and Draco's voice floated in through the door.

"Hermione what's wrong? Why'd you slam your door?" he asked worriedly. She didn't respond; she couldn't. All she could do was sit and cry. Reaching up and locking the door, she made her way over to her bed and curled up on top of the sheets.

"Hermione let me in! What's going on?" he shouted. He tried the handle but found it to be locked. She heard him mutter _alohamora_ and the lock clicked. He burst through the door and ran over to her.

"Hermione what the bloody hell is going on?" he asked, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly as she sobbed into his chest. Between sobs, she managed to explain what happened.

"I was on my way to- to the library when he came up and asked me if- he could speak to me alone so I followed him and- we were in the Astronomy tower and he was asking why- you proposed to me. I told him and he didn't believe me and- I realized where we were standing but- he kissed me before I could get away. I broke free and ran- until I got here. I didn't know where you were so I- I locked my door. I'm so sorry Draco!"

He squeezed her tightly as she cried and said,

"It's ok Hermione, you don't have to apologize. Weaselbee's going to pay for this!" She held onto him tighter and said,

"Draco wait, don't do anything that could get you hurt! Please just stay here!" He kissed her forehead and stood up.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but I can't let him get away with this. I'm going to find him and make him pay for what he did to you!" he told her. She grabbed her wand off the bed and chased after him as he stormed out of the dormitory. He walked quickly toward the library and hoped he'd bump into Weaselbee there.

Ron had just rounded the corner with Harry and Ginny when Draco pulled out his wand.

"How dare you kiss her you bastard!" he shouted. Everyone had their wands out, but Harry, Ron and Ginny were pointing theirs at Draco's chest. The three looked to Hermione, whose face was red and tear-stained.

"You told him?" Ron shouted at her, his wand still aimed at Draco's chest.

"Of course she told me! You must have quite a bit of guts to think you can just kiss Hermione and get away with it!" Draco shouted back at him.

"That's it Malfoy! _Stupefy!" _Ron shouted. Hermione pushed Draco back and caught the spell full on in the face. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Everyone froze for a split second until Professor McGonagall came around the corner and gasped at the sight. Harry and Ginny restrained Ron while Draco picked up Hermione and carried her away behind McGonagall.

"Hermione! No! Let me go! I have to go with them! LET ME GO!" Ron shouted in protest as he tried to break free. They were just barely strong enough to drag him away toward the common room.

. . . .

"I'm sorry son, but we're just going to have to wait until she comes around. There's nothing I can do at the moment. Let me know if she wakes up," Madame Pomfrey told Draco from the end of Hermione's bed. He nodded in defeat and pulled the chair that was against the wall closer to the bed. Draco sat down and took one of her hands, holding it tightly and thinking to himself.

_I never wanted for this to happen. I'm so sorry Hermione... Why did you have to push me out of the way and take that curse? You have no idea how much I wish I could go back and stop it from happening. _

Two hours passed before Hermione began to stir.

"Draco? What's going on? Where's Ron and Harry and Ginny?" she asked groggily. She sat up slightly and Draco hugged her tightly.

"I don't know where they are. Thank goodness you're alright. Hold on, I'm going to go get Madame Pomfrey," he told her fleetingly before running off toward her office. Hermione lay back down, her head pounding. They came back and Madame Pomfrey checked over Hermione to make sure everything was alright.

"You should be ok. Here, just drink this and it should help with the headache. You may leave when your headache is gone, alright?" she told her. Hermione nodded and drank the vial of potion. It tasted like mint ice cream at first, but turned warm and began to feel like a hot tea. Within minutes, her headache was gone. Draco sat down on the bed next to her and said,

"Why didn't you just let me take that curse? You scared me half to death back there." She blushed shyly and played with her ring as she said,

"I didn't want you getting hurt." He pulled her chin toward him and looked her in the eyes. Her big brown eyes were soft and filled with concern for his safety. He melted as soon as he looked into them.

"I appreciate the thought, but next time let me take the curse, ok? I don't want to see you hurt either," he told her. She nodded and kissed him, then stood up and took his hand as they walked toward the doors.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone, Steph here again! This chapter took me a while to write, but i hope it lives up to all of your expectations. I'm dedicating this chapter to my friend Jess, just because i know how badly she's been wanting to read it and I've been teasing her about it for two days. So, here's chapter 9 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.  
**

Chapter 9: Breaking the Ice

"She's never going to forgive you for that Ron and you know it," Harry told him while they ate breakfast. He looked over and saw Hermione and Draco eating their breakfast and talking. They were about twenty feet from him, so he was sure they couldn't hear him talking about them to Ron. Things had been very... Icy, let's say, since the night Ron stupefied Hermione. She wouldn't come anywhere near either of them in any of their classes and spent as much time with Draco as she could to avoid bumping into Ron by herself.

. . . .

"I swear, if he looks over here one more time I'm going to go over there and-" Draco began, but Hermione cut him off,

"Draco please, let's not have a repeat of the other night. Besides, it's not like they're making a nuisance of themselves." He sighed and continued to eat his breakfast. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and bit into her toast.

"So just as a random question, when would you want to have the wedding? And where, because I suppose that's important too," he asked her, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

"Well I want to have it outdoors during the summer. As for when, I have no idea. Maybe we should wait a year or so, just to get settled into a house or something. I think anything this year would be too soon, don't you?" she told him.

"Yeah probably, seeing as it will be our first summer officially out of school and all," he replied. They were both applying for internships in the Ministry, so they had jobs lined up. It was only a matter of finding a house and having the wedding. It had never occurred to either of them how fast their future was falling into place. They'd spent four years being secretly in love with each other and not even knowing it, and now in just two short years they would be getting married.

. . . .

The weeks passed by and soon enough the snow began melting. Draco and Hermione took frequent trips down to their oak tree by the lake to discuss the wedding or to just escape the gossip.

Ron had given up trying to apologize and Harry simply dropped the matter all together. One morning at breakfast, Hermione had decided they should sit with Ron and Harry. Much to Draco's displeasure, he agreed and sat across from Harry while Hermione sat across from Ron. They made casual small talk about classes for a while until Draco reached for a slice of toast. Ron picked up the peanut butter jar and held it out to Draco while saying,

"Do you want some peanut butter Malfoy?"

"Don't be stupid Ron, Draco like marmalade on his toast," Hermione told him informatively, handing Draco the jar or marmalade. Harry suppressed a laugh and Draco smirked at Hermione, nodding in approval. Ron went red and set the jar back down, returning silently to his breakfast.

. . . .

"So I noticed that you weren't wearing you ring today Hermione, what's with that?" Draco asked, sitting down next to her on the couch. It had been a long day full of tests and annoying teachers and Hermione wasn't in the best mood. Without looking up from her homework, she said,

"I didn't feel like wearing it today. I'm sick of the stares."

"Whoa, sorry for asking. Bad day I'm guessing?" he asked, reaching for the book. She jerked it away from him and continued to read, completely ignoring his question.

"Come on Hermione, the least you could do is answer me. You've barely talked to me at all the last couple of days, and when you have it's been forced like this," he asked, badgering her slightly. She slammed her book shut and tossed it onto the table, sitting back and looking right at Draco. Her eyes weren't their usual soft selves. This time, they were a hard, angry brown with dark circles beneath them. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"That stupid ring of yours has caused me nothing but grief since we got back from holidays. I haven't slept in nearly a week because I've been up thinking about all the rumours that I've heard from people. I'm just so frustrated all the time and I can't escape it. Ron trying to get back on my good side isn't helping any either, and Harry won't leave me alone when it comes to Ron and his incessant whining! I'm sick of everything!" she shouted. He tried to take her hands, but she pulled away.

"Hermione please, don't do this right now. You're upset and you're going to do something you'll regret if you don't calm down," he told her, still attempting to take her hands.

"I'm done. I can't do this anymore Draco, I just can't!"

She stood up and pulled off the ring, setting it on the couch in front of him and storming out of the common room. Draco shook his head and picked it up.

_She'll be back once she's calmed down. I'll give it back to her then. _

. . . .

She had no idea where she was walking, but she just wanted to get as far away from Draco as possible. She walked aimlessly through the empty corridors until she found herself at the base of the Astronomy Tower. She climbed the steps, stopping once she reached the top when she realized that she wasn't alone.

Ron was sitting cross legged on the floor, staring out into the night sky.

"Ron? What are you doing up here?" she asked, walking over to where he was sitting. He looked up at her, then back out to the sky and said,

"I come up here all the time and just watch the night. It helps me think. What about you? Why are you up here? I figured you'd be curled up by the fire with Draco by now." Hermione winced at Draco's name and sank down next to Ron.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked. She nodded, playing with the sleeve of her sweater as she told him what had happened. When she'd finished, all he did was sit there and stare at her.

"Wow, are you ok? That's a pretty big decision to make," he asked. Admittedly, he was kind of glad that she'd given him back the bloody ring, but he felt bad for her. She was so torn up about it and he hated seeing her like this. They were best friends for seven years, after all.

"I don't know anymore Ron. I mean, I love Draco and the engagement means a lot to me but at the same time it's causing me so much stress that I can barely go a day without snapping on someone. What should I do?" she asked, leaning on his shoulder. He knew what he had to say. As much as it killed him to have to let go of the girl he'd loved for five years, he had to tell her what she needed to hear. What was good for her, despite what she believed at the moment.

"Well 'Mione, I think you should go back and make up with Draco. He is the guy you love, and I know he loves you too. Who wouldn't? You're smart, talented, funny, beautiful, and you're a great person to have as a friend. He deserves someone like you," he told her. She looked up at him, her eyes red and her cheeks tear stained and said,

"You really think so?" He wiped a tear from her cheek and said,

"I know so." She hugged him tightly, knowing it killed him to tell her that. She knew he still loved her, but he loved her enough to let her go.

"Thank you Ron," she whispered. He squeezed her and whispered,

"You're welcome Hermione. Now come on, let's get you back to Draco." He stood up and pulled her up with him. She hugged him once more before walking back down the stairs. The castle was unusually warm for a night like this, which made Hermione feel slightly better. It felt like home. He walked her up to the portrait and said,

"I know you'll do what's right. You always do." She smiled and hugged him while saying,

"Thanks Ron. Night."

"Night Hermione," he told her, walking away from the landing. She faced the portrait hole and took a deep breath before saying the password and walking in. Draco was lounging on the couch flipping the ring between his fingers and sat up when she walked in.

"Hey," he said quietly. She walked over and sat beside him, taking a breath before starting.

"I'm sorry I acted like that. You didn't deserve any of it. You mean more to me than anything in the world and I feel horrible that it took me almost giving up the proposal to realize it. You probably want to just be rid of me or-" She was silenced by his lips against hers. This kiss was different from the other times. This time there was something about the way he kissed her that left her dazed.

"The last thing I want is to be rid of you Hermione. You are my life now. My family couldn't accept us, so they don't play a part in my life anymore. Without you, I have nothing. Without you I have no one else. The day you say 'I do' will be the day my life becomes complete. So until that day comes, just being with you is enough for me, engaged or not," he explained. She curled up against his chest and stayed there, knowing that she could finally be happy with everything.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked, watching the firelight dance across the floor.

"Sure, anything."

"I went to the Astronomy Tower when I left here earlier. Ron was there and I told him everything. The thing that helped me make up my mind to come back here was him. He told me that I deserved a guy like you and to come back and do what was right for me. Even though it killed him to let me go, he did." Draco stared at her, dumbfounded. Hermione sat up and brushed her hair behind her ears, biting her lip nervously.

"He let you go? Just like that?" he asked.

"Yeah. He said that I had to do what was right for me, and that I deserved a guy like you," she told him. The firelight flickered, casting the shadows away from his face. He looked grateful in a way.

"I'm glad he finally let you go," he told her quietly, hoping this wasn't the wrong thing to say.

"Me too..." she whispered. Draco took the ring off the table and held it up, as if asking her the question again. She smiled and nodded, taking the ring and sliding it back on her finger.

. . . .

"You did that? I mean, you seriously told her that?" Ginny asked, flopping down on the couch beside Harry. Ron was slouched on the floor leaning against the couch and had just told them what happened with Hermione. He nodded glumly, knowing that every chance he could've ever had with her was gone. Harry patted him on the shoulder and said,

"Well mate, at least you know she's happy."

"Yeah, but now I'll never be happy. She's the only girl I've ever loved, and now she's gone. There's no way I can change any of this." He sighed, watching the fire dance around in the hearth.

"If only you had Hermione's time turner. It could change so much," Harry told him.

The time turner! That's it, all he needed to do was go back in time and tell Hermione how he felt before the year started.

"Ron, I think he was kidding. You can't take her time turner. Besides, she gave it back to McGonagall at the end of the year that year. She wasn't allowed to keep it," Ginny explained, dashing all of Ron's hopes and dreams. Ginny shot Harry a disapproving look.

"I think I'm going to go to bed. Night guys," Ron announced as he heaved himself up off the floor, trudging away up the stairs.

"Harry you shouldn't have gotten his hopes up like that. You know how much he loves Hermione," she snapped at him, smacking his leg. He flinched away and said,

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have. The thought just popped up in my mind. Poor kid."

. . . .

Over the next month or so, Ron continued to live in a state of bitterness. Not even Quidditch could cheer him up, which Harry and Ginny thought was completely mental. Hermione noticed as well, knowing that it was his decision to let her go that was making him like this.

One afternoon in early May, Ron was moping around the castle's grounds looking for a spot to sit when he ran into Draco. He was shocked to see that Draco was alone, knowing that he and Hermione spent most of their free time together.

"Sorry Malfoy, didn't see you there," he muttered, attempting to make his way past Draco.

"That's alright. Listen, could I have a word with you? Hermione's been nagging me to talk to you for weeks now and I told her I would find you today and talk to you. Clear the air, you know," Draco told him. Ron gave him a sceptical look and shrugged his shoulders. He followed Draco to the oak tree he and Hermione always sat beneath on days like this and they sat down.

"So... How have you been?" Draco asked, breaking the awkward silence that hung in the air. Ron slouched a little more and said,

"I've been better, that's for sure. I don't think I'll bother asking you though. I can take a fair guess and say you're perfectly happy at the moment." Draco picked at the grass in front of him and shrugged his shoulders.

"You could say that, but you would be partially wrong. My life isn't as great as everyone thinks it is," he told him.

"Why would that be? You've got a girl who's head over heels for you and you're engaged to her," he grumbled, yanking on the stem of a dandelion. Draco chucked the grass to the side and said,

"Yeah sure, I've got Hermione. We're not perfect though. We argue almost every day over things that we normally wouldn't argue over. My parents disowned me back in October and now neither of them will talk to me. That's not so much a bad thing though. That just guarantees that I can live my life the way I want to. No more overbearing father; no more abuse.

"The war changed me; I'm sure you can relate to that as well. I think the war really changed Hermione though. She still has nightmares at least once a week and she's always afraid of being alone. She told me that after you left her and Harry while you were searching for the horcruxes, she wouldn't talk to Harry most nights. She would just sit and listen to the radio and wonder where you were, night after night."

Ron looked horrified at the thought. He remembered asking Hermione over the summer why she never slept anymore and she just told him that she couldn't stand the nightmares. He never thought anything of it; he'd had nightmares for a while after the war ended, but they stopped after a couple weeks.

"Most nights I'll sleep on the couch just so I can get to her faster in case she has a nightmare. It's terrifying to watch, and sometimes she won't wake up. She'll just sit there screaming and won't stop." Draco shuddered at the memories. Ron gawked at him for a moment, and then finally was able to say,

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I just want you to know that I'm grateful every day for what you did. I can't imagine what it must have felt like to let her go. You sacrificed you love for her so that I could love her, and I'll never be able to repay you for that," Draco admitted.

Ron couldn't tell whether this was true or not, but the look on Draco's face and the way he talked about her seemed to be explanation enough. Ron held out a hand to Draco and said,

"Truce?" Draco shook his hand and nodded.

"Truce. You know, I'm actually glad Hermione told me to come talk to you. It's cleared up a lot of things. Who knows, maybe one day we could even become friends," he told Ron. Ron stared at him for a few seconds before they both burst into laughter.

"Not a chance Draco, not a chance. Just be thankful we won't constantly be trying to curse one another every second we're in the same vicinity," Ron laughed, standing up and adjusting his robes. Draco jumped up and began to walk back to the castle.

"So just to clarify, this isn't one of those 'keep your friends close and your enemies' closer' things, is it?" Draco asked as they walked up the stone stairs to the castle.

"I was thinking about it, but I'm done with the whole enemy business. Like you said, the war changed everyone. Besides, I don't fancy another trip to the hospital wing, do you?" Ron asked jokingly. Draco rolled his eyes and said,

"No, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure Hermione's had enough of cleaning blood off my clothing." They both laughed as Ron pushed open the doors to the Great Hall. Hermione, Harry and Ginny were all sitting at Gryffindor table eating their dinner and stopped to gawk at Ron and Draco as they walked down the aisle and sat down.

"I'm sorry, did we miss something?" Hermione asked, turning to Draco and raising an eyebrow at him suspiciously. He held his hands up and said,

"Guilty. I can't hide anything from you can I?"

"Should we tell them?" Ron asked him. He thought for a moment then replied,

"I think so. Would you like to tell them?" Ron nodded and everyone turned to face him, eager to hear what was sure to be an interesting story.

"I was moping around down by the lake and I ran into Draco. He asked me if we could talk and basically we figured everything out. No more being at each other's throats every second," he explained. None of them could believe that this had actually happened, especially Hermione.

"For some reason, I find that really hard to believe. What really happened Draco?" Hermione asked him.

"He's telling the truth Hermione. What, don't you believe me? Merlin, it's like all you think we're capable of is trying to curse each other every chance we get. We decided it was time to act like big boys and put our differences aside for a change. It's only taken us seven years to figure this out. I figured you'd be happy about this," he explained, saddened slightly by her lack of belief. She glared back and forth between Ron and Draco a few times before silently standing up and walking away.

"I'll get her," Draco said as he jumped up and jogged after her. He never knew she could walk this fast, but by the time he'd caught up to her she was almost at the portrait hole.

"Hermione wait up! Hermione, just listen to me for a second here!" he called after her. She didn't stop, so when he was close enough, he grabbed her by the hand and spun her around. She ended up pressed against his chest, both her hands locked in his strong grasp.

"Why won't you believe me?" he asked. She tried to avoid his eyes, but he locked her in his gaze and waited for an answer.

"It's not that easy Draco. You and Ron have been mortal enemies for seven years _and_ I chose you over him without even a second thought. How could you two have possibly worked everything out in one conversation? You were only gone for half an hour!" she told him angrily. He shook his head disappointedly and released her.

"Well I'm sorry you doubt me so much. I thought that by now you would know what I'm capable of. I gave up my entire family just to be with you! I've had to be strong for you Hermione, and you know that! You don't think it scares me to death every time I wake up in the middle of the night to you screaming? You don't think it takes everything I have to go in and wake you up and make sure you're ok before letting you fall back asleep and wonder if you'll wake up again? I'm capable of a lot of things Hermione. I'm not just a whiny brat who doesn't care about anyone but myself! I thought you knew that!" he shouted. His chest felt heavy and his throat was tight; the threat of tears stung his eyes. She stared at him silently, her bottom lip quivering as she tried not to burst into tears. He walked back down the steps and stopped right in front of her.

"Why do we do this to each other? It makes things so much harder on the both of us," he asked, pulling her into his arms. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs and they just stood there in silence, wrapped in each other's embrace.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Hope you enjoy chapter ten! **

Chapter 10: Leaving

The first day of summer. In most cases, people would be celebrating this day. The students of Hogwarts filled the halls and cheered with their friends, for the first day of summer was the last day of classes. Friends swapped addresses and hugged sad farewells. There were tears in the laughter. Boyfriends and girlfriends parting ways for a summer with family, best friends leaving their new found families from whichever house they reside in.

It was an especially sunny day out, which lightened the mood all around. Hermione stood in the Great Hall with her trunk beside her and Crookshanks curling himself around her feet, meowing softly.

"I know Crookshanks, I'm going to miss it too," she told him, listening to his protests. From behind her she could hear students hauling their trunks behind them, chatting and laughing as they recalled stories from the year. Hermione sniffed and blinked hard to avoid tearing up, but her efforts were useless. Silent tears spilled down her cheeks as she remembered the past seven years of her life.

The troll in first year that sparked her friendship with Harry and Ron. The polyjuice potion in second year when she turned herself into a cat by accident. Freeing Sirius from the tower and saving Buckbeak. Punching Draco in third year. The Triwizard Tournament in fourth year and the Yule Ball. Starting Dumbledore's Army in fifth year and flying to the Ministry. Falling head over heels for Ron in sixth year. Dumbledore's death. The battle of Hogwarts; kissing Ron in the Astronomy Tower. The train ride here with Draco. Falling in love, the engagement, Draco breaking Ron's nose, kissing Ron in the Astronomy Tower again.

All of these memories flooded Hermione's mind. Hogwarts had become her home away from home. The place where she could go to be with friends and be who she really was without judgement. The place she found love and heartbreak as well. The thought of leaving was like leaving behind her youth. She took one last look around the Great Hall and turned around, bumping right into Draco. She looked up and saw his steel grey eyes gazing back down at her longingly. More tears fell, dripping off her chin and leaving little water marks on her robes. He brushed away the tears with his fingertips, not wanting to see her cry like this. She wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly, longing to be held. She wanted him to tell her it would be fine and that leaving wasn't so bad.

He held her tight and stroked her hair gently as she sobbed silently into his chest. He was admittedly going to miss this place. Although there were more good than bad times for him here, the good times made up for it all in the end. Because of this school, he'd made and lost friends, thought he'd fallen for someone, and finally really fallen for someone. He'd realized who he really was, despite his father's constant nagging. He'd lost his family, but gained a new one.

"You never realize how much you're going to miss it until you actually have to leave," he told her softly. She nodded into his chest and took a few deep breaths, calming herself so she could really look at him. His soft grey eyes were full of understanding when she looked into them, and her heart melted at the smile that was on his face. He took hold of her trunk with one hand and held her around the waist with the other, slowly walking out of the Great hall toward the carriages.

They dropped off her trunk and Crookshanks in his cage with the rest of the luggage and pets then made their way to the carriages. Hermione stopped just before the tree line and turned around, Draco following suit. They both took one last look at the castle and grounds before turning away for the last time and stepping up into a carriage. Harry, Ron and Ginny all stepped up into it and sat opposite Draco and Hermione. No one said anything the whole ride, which Hermione was grateful for because she would have burst into tears if they'd started talking again.

Hermione glanced over and saw that Harry and Ginny's hands were just barely touching as they sat between their thighs. Every bump they would touch and both of them would turn red. Ron looked slightly depressed, and she had two guesses as to why that was. Either he was sad about leaving or he was lonely; being the only single person there. Even though Harry and Ginny weren't technically together, they were still together.

Hermione leaned into Draco's shoulder a bit more, twining her fingers with his and enjoying the feel of his strong arm around her. She felt sort of sorry for Ron, knowing that he wished he could be the one to have her in his arms as they rode away from the castle.

They'd decided to go their separate way on the train, Draco and Hermione getting their own cabin while Harry, Ginny and Ron all shared one with Neville. Crookshanks lay sprawled out across one of the seats beside the cage that held Draco's owl, while Draco and Hermione lounged on the opposite seat. Hermione was lying on Draco's chest and he wrapped his arms protectively around her as the train lurched forward. She breathed in and let out a long sigh, playing with a loose thread on his jacket.

"Just like the train ride here, only we're in love with each other this time around," she said, thinking aloud somewhat. He chuckled once and said,

"I think I like this time around a lot better. It's less awkward now, and I can kiss you whenever I want to. No more wishing I could hold you in my arms and kiss you." She looked up at him and smirked, knowing he was completely right. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes, breathing in her sweet scent. She smelled like apples and cinnamon, with just a hint of lilac. He loved her smell almost as much as she loved his. She'd often told him how much she enjoyed the smell of his spearmint cologne and his aftershave mixed together. The ring glinted in the sunlight, bouncing little dots of light onto the side of the cabin. They both simply laid there with their eyes closed and soaked in the scene, letting the warmth of the sun and the rhythmic clicking of the trains wheels lull them to sleep.

Draco awoke close to an hour later and stretched slightly, careful not to wake Hermione. Her face was peaceful in sleep. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and brushed a stray curl from her face, letting his fingertips linger on her skin. Her skin was always soft and smooth, feeling almost like silk to the touch. He enjoyed the feel of her skin, even if it was just the slightest touch.

Hermione could feel his hand brush against her face. It felt like someone was trailing a feather across her cheek, making her smile slightly. She opened her eyes to see two luminous grey orbs watching her contently.

"I'm sorry, I didn't wake you did I?" he asked quietly when he noticed she was awake.

"No... I've been meaning to ask you something lately," she told him. He kissed her and said,

"What would that be?"

"Where are you going to live once we get back to London?" The puzzled look on his face was answer enough for her. Hermione had been planning answers for a few different outcomes, so his shocked look came as no surprise to her. A few weeks before the year ended, she'd written to her parents explaining everything that happened with Draco's parents and asked them if he could stay with them until they found a place of their own. Of course, they had responded quickly and were more than thrilled to have him stay with them for a while. She was grateful that her parents liked Draco so much.

"Well I, er... I haven't really given it much thought yet to be honest," he replied hesitantly, as if afraid he might give a wrong answer. She smirked at him and said,

"Just as I thought. Well, you're welcome to stay with my parent's and I until we can find a place to move out on our own." He opened his mouth to object but she cut him off.

"Don't even think about it Draco. I've already asked them and explained the situation and they're more than happy to have you stay with us. My father was elated to hear you'd be spending time with us. He quite likes you." Draco chuckled and sat up slightly, adjusting himself so that his back was against the wall and his legs were resting across the seat. Hermione curled up against his chest and watched the scenery pass by outside the window, the sun sitting low in the sky and casting an orange glow on them.

. . . .

"We should take a trip to Gringotts and see what we can do about getting your things back. You do have your key with you, right?" Hermione asked, looking through her closet for something to wear. Draco was sitting on her bed watching as she looked through outfit after outfit, trying to find something to wear to dinner. He'd surprised her earlier that day, knowing that they needed some time to be alone and talk about the more serious issues they were soon to face.

"It's in my trunk. I think when we go there I'm going to change over more of my money so that I can put more in my Muggle bank account," he told her. She turned her head to stare at him while saying,

"You have a Muggle bank account? Since when?" He shrugged and replied,

"Since I was thirteen years old I think. I've always had a passion for collecting Muggle money, so my mother let me get an account and store my money there. I've gathered quite the savings over the past four years." Hermione turned back to her closet and shyly asked,

"How much have you saved up?"

_It can't have been that much. I mean, he's only been doing it for four years. Still..._

"Last time I checked I had about... What's it called? One million, isn't it?" Hermione's jaw dropped and she turned around to face him in awe.

"You saved a _million_ dollars?" His eyes widened slightly at her reaction and he awkwardly asked,

"That's not a bad thing, is it?" She walked over to him, abandoning her outfit search, and laughed so hard her stomach hurt. He stared at her and watched as she fell onto the bed and clutched her sides while laughing.

"I don't get what's so funny Hermione. I'm still really confused here," he told her. She sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes while saying,

"That's the furthest thing from being a bad thing Draco! A million dollars is a lot of money!" He smiled triumphantly and said,

"Well that's good then. I still want to keep some of my money in Gringotts just so that I can have that for when I need something from the wizarding world. Plus when we start our internships at the Ministry we'll be getting paid there too." She crawled over and kissed him before jumping back off the bed and walking to the closet to restart the search. Draco stood up and sauntered over to the closet, wrapping his arms around Hermione's waist and looking at every outfit she flipped past.

Disgruntled, Hermione went and sat on the edge of her bed, her arms crossed in defeat. Draco shuffled through a few of the outfits and finally pulled one out, holding it up in front of himself for Hermione to see. She looked over the outfit and sighed, standing up and taking it from him. He gave her a satisfied smirk and she kissed him then as she walked out of the room said,

"You're too good at that." Draco rolled his eyes and followed her out, but turned and went to the spare bedroom to change. He clicked the door shut and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it onto the basket that sat on the floor by the dresser and walking over to the closet.

_This would go good with it. Maybe I'll change the colour of one of my ties to match her outfit, just to be safe. _

He pulled on the black dress pants and threaded a belt through the loop holes. He kept on the white t-shirt he was wearing and pulled on the black dress shirt, buttoning it up all the way before putting on the tie. He grabbed his wand off the side table and tapped the tie, watching as it changed from a bright blue to a very subtle red. Tying it quickly, he grabbed the suit jacket and walked out of the room. Hermione was still occupying the bathroom, so he decided to go downstairs and wait for her.

. . . .

_He seems to know just what to do when I don't. He's smarter than I thought._

Hermione giggled to herself as she slipped into the dress and pulled the zipper up. It fit just as well as it did the first time she wore it. She remembered Bill and Fleur's wedding and paused for a moment before grabbing her wand and pointing it at her hair. It went from its normal, slightly frizzy self to being in perfect ringlets that fell off her shoulders and bounced when she moved. Hermione was quite thankful for the book Ginny had given her for her birthday three years ago that had saved her life from day after day of unruly hair.

After applying her make-up by hand, knowing that using a wand would only lead to disaster, she looked over herself once and twirled, the dress flowing away from her legs and rippling through the air, her hair lifting up slightly and bouncing as she moved. She picked up her clothes and made her was silently back to her room, half expecting Draco to be sitting on her bed waiting for her and being a bit disappointed when he wasn't. She tossed the clothes in the hamper and picked out a pair of silver flats to wear, grabbing her coat and walking out. Hermione stuffed her wand into the little bag she was carrying and walked quietly down the stairs, peeking around the corner to see if Draco was there.

He was standing in front of the fire place looking at some of the pictures from Hermione's childhood. All of them stood unmoving, which intrigued him. All he could think was how cute she was as a child, her big brown eyes always happy with laughter. Hermione crept up behind him and made him jump when she grabbed his hand. She laughed at his reaction and kissed him, looking at the pictures he'd been looking at just prior.

"Well well, don't you look beautiful tonight," he told her, pulling her into his arms and admiring her. She blushed and clasped her hands around his neck.

"Thanks, and you're looking quite handsome yourself. I love the tie," she giggled. He shook his head and leaned his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes and feeling his heart race slightly. She kissed him once and with her lips still on his said,

"We should get going." He nodded and took her hand stepping apart slightly and closing his eyes. Although he'd always hated the feeling of apperating, it was the fastest way to get to the restaurant. He turned on the spot and felt the sensation of being squeezed through a tube, unable to breath. All that he could feel was Hermione's hand in his until his feet made contact with solid ground. He stumbled slightly, but regained his balance after a few seconds. Looking around, Hermione recognized where they were.

Her parents often brought her here when they went for dinner. It was one of her favorite places to go, but she was still left wondering how Draco knew about it as they walked in and were seated in their reserved spot. They gave the waiter their drink orders and were left alone to talk.

"I was thinking earlier. When would you be ready to move into a place of our own? I mean, I'm already technically moved out, but you're still with your parents so I think you should decide when we move," he told her casually. She played with a curl and thought about it for a moment.

"We have to find a place first. That's sort of important," she retorted, still wanting to have his opinion matter. She didn't particularly like that he wasn't trying to have an opinion. He nodded and straightened out his cutlery while saying,

"What if I told you I already had a place lined up for us?" Draco looked up at Hermione and saw her gawking at him in disbelief.

"You already have one picked? What, I mean... When did this happen?" she stuttered. He shrugged and said,

"Oh, about two weeks ago. I found a place and I knew from the moment I laid eyes on it that it was perfect for us. I took the tour and it has a beautiful kitchen and a study with enough shelves to hold all of your book plus mine with room for more. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a lovely sitting room. I meant to bring you to see it, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

Hermione was silent, still slightly shocked from the news. Draco watched her carefully as she tried to figure out what to say.

"Draco..." was all she could manage. He smiled and took her hands across the table. She melted at his touch, his hands so gentle yet strong all at once as he held hers tightly.

"I just want everything to be perfect. Although I think it already might be, just because I have you," he told her quietly. She blushed a deep red, almost the same colour as her dress, and smiled at him shyly. She loved it when he said things like that.

"So, we have the house then?" she asked after the waiter brought their drinks and left again.

"Almost. We both just have to sign for it and fill out some other documents, and then it's ours," he answered.

"We should do that tomorrow. That way we can go to Gringotts and get your things and I can start packing my things. I wonder what my parents will say to this whole thing," she told him, thinking aloud. Would her parents be excited or would they think it was too soon to be moving in together and that they should stay there for a while longer? Draco chuckled and answered her question.

"They already know and are happy for us. I only told them yesterday so they don't have much on you."

"You seem to like telling my parents everything. It's kind of odd to be honest," Hermione told him before taking a sip of her drink.

"They seem to like me for some reason, so I tell them about these things. I'm actually quite glad they like me. I was worried that your father wouldn't like me at all but he surprised me," he admitted. She rolled her eyes and watched the waiter come up behind Draco.

They continued to talk about the house long after they finished eating and before they knew it, it was almost ten o'clock. Draco had paid the bill and they were walking to a nearby park to disapperate back to the house. Although they were completely alone, Hermione had the strangest feeling that they were being watched. Draco noticed that she was repeatedly looking back over her shoulder and asked,

"Hermione, what's wrong? Why are you looking behind us so much?" She looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes. Knowing she couldn't hide it forever, she told him,

"I feel like we're being watched. It's a bit unnerving..." He looked around and tried to see anyone within range of them, but the only people he saw were a Muggle couple walking out of a store and heading the opposite direction.

Hermione had walked over to sit on a bench when a tiny blue ball of light floated beside her and went through her arm into her chest.

"Hermione, it was just a few Muggles," Draco called to her. She turned and felt the sensation of being squeezed through a tube.

Draco heard a small whoosh and whipped around. Hermione was nowhere to be seen. He ran over to the spot where her footprints ended and spun in circles, looking for her in every direction.

"Hermione? Hermione where are you!" he shouted, but no one responded. He turned on the spot and disapperated, heading back to the house.

_I know it was him, I just know it! I'm going to find her if it's the last thing I do! _

That was his last thought before disapperating.


	11. Chapter 11

**So i know that this has been a very anticipated chapter, seeing as i left chapter ten off with a cliff hanger, but i thought the suspense was needed for this epic chapter. Hopefully you all love it! Review and let me know!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.  
**

Chapter 11: Dueling at Midnight

The ground appeared hard and fast beneath Hermione's feet. Her legs buckled and she came crashing to the ground. Head pounding, she rolled onto her back and winced at the pain shooting from her knee to her hip. In the darkness she heard footsteps coming toward her, but when she opened her eyes she saw nothing. Something wrapped around her eyes and she heard a voice cast a silencing charm on her; her pleas going unheard as she struggled against the hands that held her arms. She was hoisted to her feet and pushed forcefully in the direction she was to walk. Hermione felt the handle of her wand jab at her side as she walked but had no way of reaching it. She couldn't make out the voices; whoever had blindfolded her had covered her ears as well, making it nearly impossible to hear anything.

She was guided up a set of stairs and heard a door slam behind her as she walked carefully into the space ahead. The hands moved to her shoulders and pushed her down onto the cold floor, the pain in her knee flaring up once again. She struggled to hear the voices over the sound of her pounding heart, but couldn't quite make them out. All she knew was that one of them was a man and the other a woman, maybe in her early forties. There were more footsteps, then complete silence. When she thought she was alone, Hermione tried to wiggle her hands loose, but they were tied tightly behind her back. All she could do now was sit and wait until someone came back.

. . . .

"Alan! Melissa! It's me, Draco, where are you?" he shouted after landing back in the living room. No one responded and he suddenly remembered they'd gone to Hermione's grandparent's house for dinner. He once again turned on the spot and vanished from the living room. His feet made contact with the soft grassy ground and he began walking, wand in hand, toward the Burrow. He spotted Ron and Harry walking in from the shed and shouted,

"Weasley! Potter! Where is she?" They both pulled out their wands, but held them at their sides when they realized who it was. Draco ran and closed the distance between them, his wand extended in front of him.

"Where's who Malfoy? What are you talking about?" Ron asked, keeping a careful watch on Draco's wand.

"Hermione. She disappeared and I thought it might have been one of you bringing her here," he told them urgently, but the confused looks on their faces on infuriated him more.

"She disappeared? How could she disappear? Unless she was taken," Harry wondered. They looked between each other and back at Draco, whose face was pained with impatience and worry. He was deep in thought when suddenly he grabbed their arms and disapperated. After a moment of compression and lack of breath, the hard gravel road materialized beneath them.

"What the bloody hell was that all about Malfoy? And where are we?" Ron asked, slightly annoyed at the sudden departure. Harry adjusted his glasses and Draco began to walk as he explained.

"I guessed that if she wasn't with you, then it had to have been my father that took her. He's the only person I know that would want to take her from me. We're in front of my parent's house, to answer your question. Keep your wands ready and follow me closely." They walked up the gravel road and the Malfoy Manor came into view, it's peaked roves jutting out into the dark sky. It loomed ominously over their heads, growing larger as they walked closer. A large wrought iron gate appeared in front of them, blocking their way. Draco waved his wand and the whole gate shuttered, turning to smoke as they walked through it and solidifying once again. A shiver ran down their spines as they approached the house.

Draco opened the huge black doors silently and motioned for the two to follow him in. The great room they entered was empty, but they could hear people talking from the second floor. The trio walked silently across the floor to the staircase and stopped dead when they heard a scream followed by a loud male voice.

"You took our son from us! We do not tolerate filth like you tainting the name of magic and we will deal with you once and for all!" the man shouted, his voice resonating through the empty house.

"Please don't! I didn't mean to cause any trouble, it just happened! Please!" the girl pleaded, but was cut off when the man shouted _crucio. _Her screams filled the air and the trio winced at the sound. Harry grabbed Draco by the arm to prevent him from running in there. They knew it was Hermione in there with his father. Draco turned to Harry, furious tears in his eyes and whispered,

"I have to go up there! I can't just let him torture her like that! Not again!" Harry shook his head and whispered back,

"No you mustn't let it get to you like that. She's a strong girl, I know she is. We have to wait for the right moment." Draco turned back to face the stairs and listened as he tortured her, still trying to get an answer to an unknown question. The screaming stopped and turned to painful sobs; the sound of footsteps exiting the room signalling their chance to save her. Draco ran to the top of the stairs and looked carefully around the corner, seeing nothing but Hermione lying helplessly on the ground.

Hermione's eyes were puffy and red from crying, tears still forming as the seconds passed. She heard more footsteps and braced herself for another round of torture, but instead found a pair of strong, warm arms around her pulling her up off the floor. Through the blur of tears, she could only see an outline of someone. The rope around her hands was loosened and she wrapped her arms around the mystery torso tightly, pulling herself close and breathing in quick, shallow breaths. The scent of spearmint filled her senses and she knew exactly who had come to her rescue. Draco held her close and buried his face in her hair, whispering to her rapidly. The tears ran down his cheeks as she sobbed silently into his chest, muttering thank you's to him.

"Well well well, what do we have here? A new trio of hero's, come to save the girl?" Lucius Malfoy's thick voice rang through the air. He, followed closely by Narcissa, walked into the room and stopped a few feet before Harry and Ron, who had taken up a defensive position in front of Draco and Hermione. Draco turned his wand on his father, one arm still around Hermione, and asked,

"Why are you doing this?" Lucius chuckled darkly and answered, pacing back and forth before the line of boys.

"We were simply getting revenge for what was taken from us, son-"

"I'm not your son anymore!" Draco shouted, interrupting him.

"Don't you talk to your father like that Draco!" Narcissa snapped from the edge of the room.

"Harry Potter, what an unpleasant surprise," Lucius said, resuming control of the conversation. Harry glared at him and replied,

"The same to you, Lucius." Harry and Ron's wands followed Lucius as he paced back and forth before them, his cane clicking menacingly on the hard floor as he walked.

"We believe that Ms. Granger here has taken something very dear to us with no intent on returning it. Draco, we know that you couldn't have possibly chosen that filthy little mudblood over your own parents," he explained, pointing his wand toward Hermione as he spoke. Draco stiffened and angrily said,

"Don't call her that!" Lucius scoffed and said,

"Oh ho, what do we have here? Standing up for a mudblood. Now we raised you better than that; didn't we Narcissa?" She nodded silently, her wand clutched tightly in her hand.

"I told you never to call Hermione that! And you raised me wrong. You raised me to believe that muggleborns are an abomination; that they don't deserve magical powers, but you were wrong," he corrected, his voice filled with loathing. Hermione began to scream and writhe in Draco's arms as Lucius sent the _cruciatus _curse at her.

"NO! HERMIONE NO!" Draco screamed as her body contorted in his arms. Her screams filled the air for what seemed like an eternity. Harry stupefied Narcissa and began casting spells at Lucius, soon followed by Ron. Hermione slumped in Draco's arms, too weak to move from the pain that filled her only seconds ago. Flashes of red flew through the air, colliding with the walls and smashing objects in every direction. Harry's voice rang out over the noise as he shouted _Sectumsempra! _Lucius crumpled to the ground, red gashes appearing on his white robes. He groaned in agony as the blood seeped from his body. Draco stood up and walked over to him, standing directly over top of him and watched as he slowly bled to death. He held up his wand and with eighteen years of resentment in his voice, said,

"I am not your son. _Avada Kedavra!" _A green flash erupted from the tip of his wand and collided with his bloody chest. Lucius Malfoy was silent, unmoving. Lucius Malfoy was dead. Harry and Ron watched in shock as Draco killed his father. Hermione couldn't watch, her eyes still filled with tears, she sobbed quietly into her arm. Draco looked up and rushed back to Hermione's side, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly once again.

"Shh, it's all going to be ok now. Shh... It's ok, I'm right here, no one's going to hurt you anymore..." he whispered into her ear as she sobbed harder, her entire body wracking as she cried.

"Draco, we need to get out of here. Come on," Harry told him, helping him up. Draco cradled Hermione in his arms as they walked down to the main floor. Harry grabbed hold of Draco and Ron, turning on the spot. They were compressed, unable to breath or move, until the soft grass of the Burrow's front yard materialized beneath their feet. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ran out, Ginny following close behind them, when they saw them appear. Harry hugged Ginny tightly and Mrs. Weasley enveloped Ron in a hug. Mr. Weasley helped Draco up and led them to the living room, letting him set Hermione down on the couch.

"What happened son?" he asked, gripping Draco's shoulder.

"My father. He took Hermione and tortured her- he used the _cruciatus _curse on her. We stopped him and Harry used a spell on him. He was bleeding badly and I-" Draco explained, but his voice cut off before he could finish.

"I killed him," he finally finished. Mr. Weasley watched in shock as Draco explained, tears rolling from his eyes as the words came out. Draco sank to the floor and held Hermione's hand as he sobbed silently. Mr. Weasley left the room and returned a short while later carrying a small glass of glowing silvery potion in each hand. He gave one to Draco and helped Hermione drink the other. Draco downed his in one shot and felt instantly calm. Hermione's hand relaxed in his as she laid back and rested. The others came in and sat on the various furniture that was in the room.

"I have to take Hermione home," Draco told them after a while. Draco had been completely silent as Harry and Ron retold the story. Hermione sat up and nodded in agreement with Draco. Mrs. Weasley looked worried at the thought, but told them they should get back to her parents. The couple stood and walked out to the yard, Harry, Ron and Ginny following them out. Hermione hugged her three friends' goodbye and Draco shook Harry and Ron's hands, nodding and saying,

"Thank you both." They nodded back and watched as Hermione and Draco vanished.

. . . .

Hermione awoke the next morning wrapped in Draco's arms. They were both still in the clothes they'd worn the night before, only Draco had stripped down to his t-shirt. She breathed in his spearmint scent and relaxed her body a bit. Draco stretched and kissed her forehead before whispering,

"Good morning." She nuzzled into his chest and stayed there, silent. He pulled her closer and in a low voice said,

"I'm sorry for last night. I should have never let you go. I should've just-" Her lips met his and he was quiet, feeling the longing in her kiss. He ran his fingers through her messy curls and smiled against her lips, knowing she was alright and here safe in his arms. She pulled away just enough to look him in the eyes and said,

"Draco you don't need to apologize for anything. You came and saved me, that's what matters. You risked your life knowing he could've killed you just to save me."

"I still didn't get to take the curse for you either. I promised I would next time, and I didn't," he told her. She shook her head and set a hand on his cheek, running her thumb across the length of his cheekbone while saying,

"You're so chivalrous. Always striving to protect the girl you love." He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek into her palm.

"Only because I love you and want to keep you safe. You're the most important thing in my life," he told her, his eyes still closed.

"I love you Draco," she whispered. He smiled and opened his eyes, looking deep into her molten brown eyes and whispering back,

"And I love you."

. . . .

"So what do you want to do today?" Draco asked as they walked. Hermione had decided to take a walk to the park after breakfast, so Draco tagged along.

"I just want to relax and spend a day with you alone. After last night I just want to spend time with you knowing that the time we have together is valuable," she told him, their hands swaying slightly between them as they walked. He loved it when she said things like that. They walked up to a bench and sat down, the morning sun warming them up.

"We can go tomorrow and sign the papers for the house if you'd like. Maybe do Gringotts as well," he suggested. She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder and sighing.

"I'd like that. It shouldn't take too long to get all my things packed, and my parents will be working so I can use magic to do it all," she told him.

They sat and watched as the sun rose up higher and higher into the cloudless blue sky. Around an hour later, they went back and began packing by hand, deciding what she wanted to bring or leave behind. By dinner, they had most of her books sorted and were beginning on the rest of her things.

Afternoon the next day came quickly and Hermione was anxious to see the house as they walked along the street. They'd apperated about a block away and walked hurriedly along the sidewalk. A tall man with short bronze hair and blue eyes met them at the door and they went to the kitchen to sign the forms. Hermione was amazed by the beauty of the place. It was a bit smaller than her parent's house, but was built basically the same.

The realtor explained everything to them and after signing their names countless times, they shook the man's hand and he left, leaving them with two keys and a new house. Draco walked her through the house and showed her where everything was, watching her excitement grow with every passing moment. She kissed him and said,

"It's perfect! I love it!"

. . . .

"The contents of your vault can be magically transported to any location needed, as requested by the owner of the vault," the goblin explained to them as they walked along the dark corridor. Draco's vault came up and he handed the goblin his key, taking the lamp and holding it up. He guessed that it had been magically enlarged to fit all of his belongings in it, and was shocked at how much bigger it was. All of his money was stacked on one side, which took up most of the room, and the other side had all of his things stacked and placed in a neat fashion.

"Where would Mr. Malfoy like his things sent to?" the goblin asked. Draco snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat before saying,

"Number thirty-four Cantery road, London." The goblin nodded and closed the vault door, performing some sort of magic on it and muttering a spell under his breath. There was a small popping sound and he opened the vault once more, checking that everything had been sent properly. The vault had returned to its original size and was filled to the brim with Draco's money.

As they walked out of Gringotts, Hermione said,

"That was interesting. I didn't think they could do that." Draco nodded and said,

"Neither did I. I'm glad though, it would've been a pain to move it all by hand." Hermione laughed and nodded in agreement.

They spent the rest of the day packing and magically transporting all of Hermione's things to the house. They finally sent the last box to the house and stood in her empty room. The pale lavender walls were bare and the room seemed slightly bigger. Hermione took Draco's hand and they disapperated from the room, landing in the middle of their living room.

Most of the boxes had been sent to the proper places, and it was now simply a matter of unpacking them. Hermione grabbed her wand and made her way around the house, waving it at box after box and sending the items to their places. Draco tackled the upstairs and met Hermione back in the living room, sitting down on the couch and pulling her with him. She cuddled into his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. He waved his wand at the grate, igniting a flame and feeling the heat slowly move through the room. Hermione yawned widely, her eyelids drooping with sleep, and closed her eyes against Draco's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Come on sleepyhead, let's go," he told her quietly, shifting and standing up in front of her. Hermione grabbed his hands and he pulled her up, picking her up suddenly and carrying her up the stairs. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and breathed deeply. He set her down on the bed and walked into the bathroom for a moment so she could change.

The drawer opened smoothly as she pulled out a pair of her favorite silky pyjamas. She pulled off her clothes and slipped into the pyjamas, feeling instantly tired and walking over to the bathroom door. Draco opened the door and kissed her as he walked by to put on his own pyjamas. As usual, he was sleeping shirtless, which Hermione didn't mind in the least. When she walked out, Draco was lying on his back half under the covers waiting for her. She flicked off the lights and crawled in next to him, curling up against his chest and drifting quickly off to sleep. The last thing she remembered before slipping into unconsciousness was Draco whispering to her that he loved her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Steph here again with another "thrilling installment" of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair. I'm hoping that after chapter eleven, you'll be very much looking forward to this chapter. I know it's a bit shorter, but it's packed full of drama and emotional upheaval that will surely leave you speechless and wanting more. I've tested this chapter out on a friend of mine and she was begging for more by the end, so hold onto your wands and get ready to read Chapter 12 or A Perfectly Imperfect Pair.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP. **

Chapter 12: The Department of Magical Law Enforcement

"Hermione... Hermione wake up." The voice floated into her subconscious and the words became clear as she began to wake up. Draco was sitting on the edge of the bed beside Hermione, rubbing her arm and quietly telling her to wake up.

"Hmmm... Five more minutes dad..." she mumbled. A pair of lips met her forehead and whispered,

"Hermione its Draco, not your dad. Come on, you've got to wake up. It's our first day at the Ministry."

Her eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the bright sunlight that shone in through the window. She saw Draco's face smiling down at her as she stretched and sat up.

"Good morning sleepyhead," he said sweetly. Hermione leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking into his stormy grey eyes and saying,

"Good morning. How was your sleep last night?"

"Wonderful. I had the strangest dream though," he replied with a grin on his face. She smirked and asked,

"You did now? What was it about?" He wrapped his arms around her hips, pulling her onto his lap and resting his chin on her head.

"Well, I was standing in the Astronomy tower at Hogwarts alone, when suddenly a voice came from the shadows. I turned and the whole scene changed from the dark night on the tower, to a bright sunny afternoon. I was sitting on the top of a small hill watching a woman play with her two children, and when she looked up, it was you. Weird, hey?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow at him, contemplating the probability of how realistic the story was, and finally gave up. Hermione kissed him and stood up, walking over to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

Draco could hear the water running from behind the closed door and got up, walking over to the closet and pulling out what he was going to wear.

_First day in the Auror Office. This should be interesting. _

Lost in thought, he didn't hear Hermione open the bathroom door and walk into the room. She tapped his shoulder and he turned, but didn't say anything.

Her hair hung in damp curls on her shoulders, water dripping from the tips and running down her arms and the small bare section of her chest that showed above the towel line. The pale, creamy skin of her face was flushed and her eyes seemed brighter, more alive.

Draco shyly looked away, embarrassed. Hermione saw this and felt slightly disgruntled.

"What?" she asked, sounding hurt. He ran a hand through his platinum blonde hair and awkwardly walked away. Hermione heart sank into her stomach as she watched him walk away from her.

"Draco? Hey, stop for a minute!" she called after him. He stopped dead in his tracks, but didn't turn around to face her. Hermione stomped over and stood in front of him, forcing his eyes to meet with hers.

"What was that all about?" she asked angrily. He said nothing, only taking in the scene. Her body was so close to his; so close, but so far away. He wanted her, all of her, but knew he wouldn't get it. Not until after the wedding, at least.

She waited a moment, and when no response came, coldly turned and walked back into the bedroom, pulling an outfit from the closet and locking herself in the bathroom.

Draco smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand and muttered,

"You're such an idiot Draco."

The rest of the morning was spent exchanging awkward glances in silence. The only time they really made any contact at all was when Draco asked her if she was ready to leave, to which she responded with a curt nod and took his hand. He squeezed it and turned; disapperating from the house. The pressure of disapperation seemed worse this morning than usual. Draco simply attributed it to the foul mood he'd put Hermione in earlier.

They were met by Mr. Weasley in the elevator area, along with a man Hermione recognized as John Dawlish, an Auror that held them hostage in Dumbledore's office in fifth year. She wasn't too pleased to see him, but kept her expression unchanged as she greeted the men.

"Good Morning Hermione, Draco," Mr. Weasley greeted as they came close to the pair.

"Good morning Mr. Weasley," Hermione replied with a smile. Draco nodded with a small smile on his face, but said nothing.

"So, Draco you'll be going with Dawlish and Hermione you'll be coming with me. Orientation comes first, then after that you'll be working like you would every other day. I believe Draco that you'll be going on an investigation with Dawlish and a few other Auror's this afternoon. Everything understood?" They both nodded and Dawlish motioned for Draco to follow him. The Auror Office was on the second floor, and Hermione was going to the Improper Use of Magic Office on the fourth floor. Draco kissed Hermione on the cheek and her hand slid limply out of his without any sign of wanting to hold on. He knew she was mad at him, but he never imagined it would be like this. She seemed like she didn't want to be there with him. They parted ways, Draco looking over his shoulder to check if she looked back, but she didn't. He felt a pang of guilt run though him, knowing that he'd caused this himself.

"Dawlish! Dawlish wait!" shouted a voice from behind them in the crowd. A short man burst though the crowd and screeched to a halt in front of them, panting hard from running.

"What is it Alderson, I've got work to do," Dawlish asked in an annoyed tone. Alderson straightened out his hat and said,

"I've got news from the head of the department. Says there's a new case and it's urgent. It involves Lucius Malfoy." Draco's heart dropped. He remembered that night with such clarity that he nearly lost his balance. Did they know something? He waited nervously as the two men talked, following them onto the elevator and holding tightly to the rail as they sped off toward their floor. His heart pounding, he stepped wearily off the elevator and hurried to keep up with the men as they sped off toward the main office. The door opened and they sat on the three chairs that were seated before them.

"Gentlemen, as I assume you have heard, Lucius Malfoy is dead. He was discovered in his house last night along with his wife, who had no recollection whatsoever of the incident. We suspect that her memory was wiped shortly after the incident." Kingsley Shackelbolt sat in the large chair before them, explaining the story. Draco's heart raced with no sign of slowing as the seconds ticked on, his anxiety growing more and more with each word. He felt suddenly sick, but fought the urge and sat silently in his chair.

When he finally tuned back into the conversation, Shackelbolt was speaking.

"...Will be going to the house to investigate immediately. Are you prepared to leave?" he asked them in a serious tone. They all nodded and stood up, Draco a little shaky as he gripped the back of the chair for support.

. . . .

Hermione sat at her desk reading over a file when Mr. Weasley came in. He looked troubled, which made Hermione wondered what he was going to say to her.

"Hermione listen to me very carefully. What happened two nights ago at Malfoy Manner? I've just heard word that the Minister himself just sent Auror's to the house to investigate the death. Draco was with them, and I'm worried he might confess what happened," he whispered in a rushed voice. Hermione's jaw dropped and she felt like a brick was sliding through her chest into her stomach. If Draco confessed, he could be sent to Azkaban.

"Mr. Weasley, we told you everything we know about what happened. They kidnapped me and tortured me until Draco, Harry and Ron came to my rescue. They were acting on self-defence when he was killed because he was trying to kill us," she whispered back, shuddering when she recalled the pain from the curse. He nodded at her and said,

"Well I hope for the best then. They should be back by the end of the day, so we're just going to have to wait until they return to find out what's going to happen." He stood up and quickly exited the cubical, leaving Hermione worried. It took her a few minutes to finally return to her work, but she was so deep in thought that the words were meaningless to her.

_Why did this have to happen today? Our first day at work, he already pissed me off this morning and now he's off to investigate his own father's murder. It's so hard to be angry at him when he could be in danger. _

. . . .

The only thing Draco could think about was Hermione. Even as he walked up to the door of the house, his thoughts were on Hermione. The air in the house was cold as they walked up the staircase. Draco breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the body was covered, but knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

When Dawlish uncovered the body, Draco felt the uneasiness build up in his stomach once again. Lucius' body was a pale white and the blood stains were spread across his entire chest. Draco was standing only feet away from the spot where he'd killed the man he'd once called his father. The green light flashed in his eyes and he looked away. Death had always frightened him, even more so when he became a Death Eater and was ordered to kill Dumbledore.

Dawlish noticed his face go a ghastly white and said,

"Son, I think you should go take a walk outside. You don't look so good." Draco nodded weakly and sped out of the room. He burst through the front door and stumbled down the steps, sitting on the bottom one and putting his head between his knees. A heavy pressure sat on his chest, and thoughts and images flowed like a river through his clouded mind. Drops of sweat dripped from the tip of his nose as he trembled.

_I can't go back in there. Not with the body still there. They'll know it was me and I'll be sent to Azkaban! If that happens, I'll never be able to apologize to Hermione for what I did this morning. _

Dawlish walked down the steps and sat beside him, patting his shoulder and saying,

"Draco I know this must be hard for you, this case being so personal and all, but you need to come see what we do in cases like these." Draco looked up, his grey eyes hard with grief, and said,

"I can't go back in there. Not after what happened. It was all just a big misunderstanding." Dawlish stared at him, confusion in his eyes.

"What are you talking about son? What do you mean it was a misunderstanding?" Draco's heart raced even faster as he realized what he'd gotten himself into. There was no turning back now. He cursed himself in his mind when Hermione popped back into his thoughts.

He told Dawlish the vague details, but it was enough for him to stand up and tell Draco they needed to go back to the Ministry.

. . . .

"Hermione, you're wanted in the court rooms in half an hour. Harry and Ron are on their way, and Draco's just returned," Mr. Weasley told her in a hushed voice. She stood up and followed him quickly to the elevators, thinking the worst.

The court room floor was chilly. Hermione could remember that there were Dementors in every room.

"You'll have to go in by yourself from here. Good luck Hermione," he told her. She walked slowly into the room and saw Draco sitting in one of four chairs in the center of the room. Most of the members of the Wizengmot were sitting in the stands around Shacklebolt's seat. They eyed Hermione suspiciously as she walked in and sat down next to Draco. He looked remorseful and held her hand while they waited. She turned to him and quietly said,

"Draco what's going on?" He shook his head and watched Ron and Harry enter through the small black door.

"We are here to discuss the case of Lucius Malfoy's Death that occurred at midnight on July thirteenth. Now we would like to question Mr. Weasley first. Mr. Weasley, where were you on the night Mr. Malfoy was killed?" Shacklebolt asked, his voice echoing through the room. His voice slightly shaky, Ron said,

"Well, I was at home with Harry until Draco showed up asking if we'd seen Hermione because she'd disappeared." There were hushed murmurs from the crowd, but they were silenced by Shacklebolt tapping his anvil on the podium.

"Is this true Ms. Granger? You disappeared on the night he was killed?" he asked. Hermione nodded and said,

"It's true sir. I was taken by Mr. Malfoy and tortured until Draco, Harry and Ron showed up. If they hadn't shown up he probably would've tortured me to death." Draco's hand squeezed hers tightly. Shacklebolt nodded and looked to Draco next.

"Mr. Potter, is it true that you were with Mr. Weasley on that night? And if so, can you verify that Mr. Malfoy did in fact come to the Burrow that night?" he asked. Draco nodded and replied nervously.

"I did. We disapperated to Malfoy Manor shortly after I arrived at the Burrow and found him torturing her with the _cruciatus _curse. We were about to save her, but they returned to the room and he resumed torturing her while she was in my arms. We defended ourselves against him as best we could until we finally managed to catch him off guard and disable him. Minister, I was the one who-"

"Draco no! You don't have to tell him that! Please, I'm begging you!" Hermione pleaded sadly, clutching his arm. He turned to her and placed a hand on her cheek, looking deep into her eyes and whispering,

"Hermione please, we need to tell the truth. I love you so, so much. If this is what I have to do to keep you safe and out of Azkaban, then I'm going to do it." The tears in her eyes wrenched at his heart, but he kissed her and whispered,

"I love you."

"Minister, I was the one who killed Lucius Malfoy. The others were just trying to protect Hermione; don't blame them, please."

The entire courtroom stared at him in shock. Harry and Ron both gawked at him, Hermione sobbing at his side and clinging to his arm. Shacklebolt looked around, then back to Draco and with a loud, dominant voice said,

"This court is excused for further deliberation. I hereby dismiss you until further notice." The four teens stood up and exited the room quickly.

There was a bench down the hall in a warmer area that Hermione collapsed onto. Draco pulled her onto his lap and held her tightly, knowing that this could very well be the last time he could hold her in his arms.

Harry and Ron sat on the bench beside them and watched in silence as their best friend cried her eyes out in the arms of the man who used to be their mortal enemy, but had been reduced to a frightened boy clinging to the girl he loved.

"You're such an idiot Draco! You went and- just gave yourself up- like that without even- giving it a second thought! I won't be able to- live without you if- you go to Azkaban, I- I just won't! You- just ruining- everything!" she told him between sobs. He held her tighter and felt the tears run down his cheeks.

"Hermione I am so sorry. I wish I could do something to fix everything that's happened. Look at me for a second Hermione," he whispered. She looked up at him, her eyes puffy and red, tears still streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. He held her face in his hands and looked into her watery eyes as he spoke.

"If I get sent to Azkaban, I need you to promise me that you won't hold yourself back waiting for me. I don't want you to give up living your life just because I can't be there to live it with you."

"I can't Draco. I can't live my life without you," she sobbed. He pulled her into his chest and held her tightly once again, breathing in her scent and committing it to memory.

A Wizengmot member came and told them they were to return to the court room to hear the verdict. The straight faced group gave no indication as to what the verdict was to be, which made the four teens even more nervous as they took their seats once again.

Shacklebolt sat, straight faced and unmoving, and opened his mouth to give the verdict.

"As Minister of Magic, and under the decisive power of the Wizengmot, I hereby sentence Draco Malfoy to five hundred and forty seven days in Azkaban for the murder of Lucius Malfoy. You will be brought back to the Ministry at the end of your term for re-evaluation. All charges for Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley are henceforth dropped. Mr. Malfoy will be escorted to Azkaban immediately."

Two guards took Draco from his seat while Harry and Ron restrained Hermione.

"NO DRACO! NO YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! COME BACK! DRACO!" she screamed as she watched the guards drag him out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Steph here with chapter 13 or A Perfectly Imperfect Pair. I've heard that chapter 12 was enjoyed, so here's chapter 13 for you. I'm hoping it lives up to the expectations. Chapter 14 will be up within the next couple of days i'm hoping, so keep checking for it. Review if you liked it and tell me your thoughts, because everyone opinion matters!**

**Disclaimer: i don't own HP.  
**

Chapter 13: 547 Days

Emptiness. If there were any feelings left in Hermione, they were hidden deep down where not even she could reach them. It had been seventeen days since they took Draco from her, and not one single day has gone by that wasn't filled with tears.

Every morning she would wake up from a deep, nightmare filled sleep and roll over, feeling the open space next to her on the bed. After forcing herself through a routine designed to take her mind off him, she would leave for work, staying until the late hours of the night before returning home. Every night before bed, she sat at the kitchen table and wrote in her journal. She called it her countdown journal. Tonight's entry was similar to many of the others before it.

"_Draco,_

_Its day seventeen here and I can't describe how empty life has been without you here. I think about you every minute and fight hard to keep back the tears. Do you think of me? Probably. Azkaban must be such a horrid place. All those Dementors roaming around, sucking away the happiness. I miss you more than words can say. I'll see you in 530 days._

_Love with all my heart, _

_Hermione." _

. . . .

Harry and Ron visited on the weekends, which gave her a false sense of feeling to distract from the hole in her chest.

_They have no idea what it's like. Waking up day after day and not being able to even look at him. I still spray his cologne to make it feel like he's still around. Going to bed at night and not wanting to fall asleep for fear another nightmare will return. Knowing he won't be there to comfort you when you wake up screaming. _

. . . .

Day eighty four. Four hundred and sixty three days left.

"Mum really wants you to come over for dinner 'Mione. Everyone misses you," Ron told her in a feeble attempt at convincing her to leave the house. Not only had it been nearly a month since she'd left the house to go anywhere other than work, but she hadn't talked to any of the family since the trial. Reluctantly, she agreed and disapperated with Ron back to the Burrow.

"Oh Hermione dear, I was beginning to worry you weren't coming! It's so wonderful to see you!" Mrs. Weasley gushed the moment they set foot in the house. Ginny hugged her warmly, followed by Ginny and Harry. The four teens went up to Ron's attic bedroom while Mrs. Weasley made dinner.

"I know this is a bad question to ask, but how have you been Hermione? I haven't talked to you in two months," Ginny asked, sitting next to Harry on the floor. Hermione was seated beside Ron on his bed while Harry and Ginny sat together opposite them. She shrugged half-heartedly and said,

"Same as usual I suppose. Not much has changed." After that, the subject was dropped all together. One thing Hermione did notice was that Ron was sitting particularly close to her tonight. Having not had anyone be this close to her since Draco left, she didn't mind him sitting this way, but she remembered in the back of her mind that she was still engaged to Draco.

They'd started in on a conversation involving Hogwarts and Ginny's seventh year when they were called down for dinner. Harry and Ginny went ahead, but Ron stopped before Hermione could leave and said,

"I was thinking and if you wanted, I could come stay with you for a while. I imagine it gets lonely being by yourself in that house and I figured you could use some company." She stared at him for a moment before quietly saying,

"Sure, that would be great. Are you sure your mum won't mind?" he shrugged and said,

"I'll ask her later tonight. I'm sure she'll say yes though. She's been worried that you've been getting lonely." Something pulled at her heart as she listened to him say all of these things. It had never crossed her mind that he would want to help her out like this, especially since she chose Draco over him back at school.

Dinner was uneventful, even with Mrs. Weasley doing most of the talking. Ron had taken the seat next to Hermione and she would catch him looking over at her every few minutes. He hadn't asked his mother about staying with her yet, but she had a feeling Mrs. Weasley would be more than happy to have him go and stay with her.

"So mum, I was thinking earlier and I was actually wondering if you would be ok with me going to stay with Hermione for a while? I already checked with her and she okayed it," he asked suddenly when there was a pause in the conversation.

"I don't suppose it would do any harm, and if Hermione's ok with it then I am too," she replied, looking over at Hermione and smiling thoughtfully.

. . . .

Day one hundred and twenty three. Four hundred and twenty four days left.

Pain. She remembered the feeling, but couldn't bring herself to believe that it was real. It had to be only a dream. Malfoy Manor was dark and he was standing there watching it happen, not doing anything. Wait, it couldn't be. Those eyes, so dark and evil, were suddenly his. She blinked and Draco had taken his father's place, his wand held out in front of him. She tried to move, but she couldn't. Her limbs were frozen in place. The mark on his arm was dark and moving, like the snake was real and slithering beneath the thin layer of flesh that covered his arm. His mouth opened and the curse was said. A blinding green light filled her eyes and she screamed.

There was a pair of strong, warm arms around her and she jolted awake, breathing hard and clutching the front of someone's shirt.

"Hey, it's going to be ok. Shh..." a voice soothed.

"Draco? Don't let go, please don't leave me again Draco!" she said frantically.

"It's me 'Mione. It's Ron," he told her quickly. She opened her eyes and looked up, seeing a pair of blue eyes staring nervously down at her. His red hair was tousled and messy from just getting out of bed. Her heart dropped and she felt empty once again. She stayed in his arms for another minute or so before sinking back down under the covers and pulling her knees up to her chest. She glanced over at the alarm clock on the side table and sighed internally when she read the time. Two thirty in the morning was too early. Ron stood up and rested a hand on Hermione's shoulder before walking out of the room.

He worried about her a lot, but she never seemed to acknowledge the fact that he cared about her. She seemed so helpless and alone all the time, even when he was with her. She was always working and keeping herself busy, never letting a moment pass without a task being performed. He'd wondered night after night what she wrote in the journal she kept by her bed, but never bothered asking for fear of upsetting her.

He knew she wasn't the type to just sit and let life pass by while she withered away in sorrow. Hell, she'd gone on searching for horcruxes after he'd left even though she was hurting inside every minute of the day.

. . . .

Day one hundred and sixty five. Three hundred and twenty eight days left.

"Wake up Hermione, it's Christmas morning!" Ginny shouted from outside the door. Hermione rolled over and grumbled to herself, not wanting to put forth the effort to get out of bed. Memories of last Christmas floated into her mind. Draco waking her up first thing by kissing her. Unwrapping the gifts while leaning against his chest. Kissing beneath the mistletoe when her parents weren't watching.

The memories stung, but at least she was feeling something. Ginny walked in and sat down hard beside Hermione, shaking the bed and saying,

"Come on 'Mione, you have to get up. It is Christmas after all! Ron and Harry are waiting for you downstairs and mum's making breakfast already. Now come on, let's go!" Hermione sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes and attempting to run her fingers through her hair.

The floor was cool under her feet as she followed behind Ginny. When they entered the living room, Ron jumped up and squeezed Hermione in a hug while saying,

"Merry Christmas Hermione!" She hugged him back lightly and said,

"Merry Christmas Ron. Merry Christmas Harry." Harry got up off the couch and walked over to Hermione, pulling her into a hug then taking her by the hand and sitting down on the couch. Ron passed her a box similar to the ones the other three had in their hands.

They tore off the paper and opened the boxes, revealing sweaters with matching scarves for each of them with their initials embroidered on the front.

"These are definitely from mum," Ron announced, pulling out the blue knit sweater and holding it up to his chest.

"At least you finally got the colour you've wanted every year instead of maroon like usual," Harry pointed out, pulling the red and gold sweater from his box. Hermione pulled her sweater from the box and smiled. It was a deep green, slightly reminiscent of the Slytherin green, with a silvery material making up the cuffs and the inside of the hood. The H on the front was also made from the silvery material. She pulled it on over her pyjamas and smiled, feeling herself instantly warm up.

"Hey Hermione, your parent's sent these one's for you. Mum told me they got here early this morning," Ron told her, pulling a stack of wrapped gifts out from beneath the tree. She took the stack from him and set them on the table in front of her, taking the card off the top and opening it. Her mother's soft, curly writing covered the page.

"_Hermione,_

_Happy Christmas dear. We wish you could have come with us. Australia is so beautiful. Your father even misses the snow, which is surprising. I know things have been rough lately, but try and have a little fun this Christmas. I know the Weasley's are always welcoming you with open arms, so you'll be with good company while you're there. When we come back from vacation, we were hoping you would come visit. You can even bring along your friend Ron too if you'd like. _

_We both miss Draco. I can't even begin to imagine how badly you must miss him. He's such a nice person. Both your father and I are counting down the days until he's released. _

_Well, we wish you a good holiday. See you when the holiday is done sweetheart, we both love you very much._

_Love, mum and dad." _

The tears ran down her cheeks steadily as she read and reread the letter, picturing her mother writing this. Ron saw her crying and got up, walking through the mess of wrapping paper and gifts to get to the couch and sit next to Hermione. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder and set the letter down on the table.

"Thanks Ron," she told him, wiping the tears off her face and hugging him. He hugged her back tightly and said,

"No problem Hermione." He went back over to his chair and resumed opening his gifts, occasionally sneaking glances over at Hermione as she opened the gifts from her parents.

She'd received a new set of books, another sweater and a new journal from her parents. There was one final gift, but it was from her father only. She picked it up and pulled the paper away from the back, turning it over and feeling her heart skip a beat when she saw what it was.

A small silver picture frame sat delicately in her hands with a picture of her and Draco standing beneath the mistletoe last Christmas. It was in black and white, but his eyes were still their same bright silver as they stared into hers, his arms wrapped around her waist and hers wrapped around his neck. Their foreheads were pressed together and her cheeks were slightly darker, indicating her blush. She also noticed that it wasn't taken by a Muggle camera, for her and Draco were swaying side to side and laughing.

He'd gone to all this trouble just to get this picture. A new round of tears began, but she didn't try to fight them this time. This was the happiest she'd been in a long time. All because of this picture. She made a mental note to thank her father when she saw him and set the picture on the table next to her other gifts.

Harry had given her two new charms to add to her bracelet, one of them being as small otter and the other a silver snake that coiled itself into the shape of a D. Fred and George sent her a package of the latest Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products, one of which caught her interest but she set it aside for later. Ginny's gift of a book titled _Fifty Memory Charms _was also on her list of things to read immediately, only because it was one she'd never seen before and the title gave much to be desired. Ron's gift made her smile the most and it was a major step up from his first gift he'd given her four years ago.

It was a simple silver chain with a pendant on it, only the pendant wasn't something ordinary. It was one of the Dumbledore's Army coins she'd created in fifth year. She looked over at him and watched his cheeks go red.

"Thank you Ron, I love it," she told him.

"Read what's on the back of it," he told her, pointing to it. She flipped it over and saw the small engraved message on it.

_"It's about doing something real to fight for what's right." _

That was their motto for DA.

"Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from the kitchen. Both boys jumped up and made their way toward the kitchen, Hermione and Ginny following close behind. While the others went and sat down, Hermione made her way to Mrs. Weasley and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you for the sweater, it's wonderful," she told her. Mrs. Weasley hugged her back and said,

"You're very welcome dear. I'm glad you like it. Now go have a seat and eat some breakfast."

While they ate, everyone talked about their gifts. Hermione enjoyed the chatter because it gave her time to think about the book Ginny had given her. She ate quickly and left the kitchen, making her way through the living room to gather her things and take them up to her room.

There was a knock on the door and Ron walked in.

"Harry, Ginny and I are going outside for a snowball fight. Want to join?" he asked. She looked from the book to him then said,

"Sure, just let me get my coat on and I'll be right down." He smiled and exited the room, thundering down the stairs and shouting to Harry. Hermione threw the book on the bed and grabbed her coat off the chair.

The sun was shining brightly in the middle of the sky, giving the snow a sparkly look and warming the air. Ron waved her over to the opposite side of the yard from Harry and Ginny. She ran over through the snow and he quickly said,

"You brought your wand, right?" She nodded and pulled it out of her coat. He grabbed his and said,

"I'll start on the snowballs; you start on the fort wall." She laughed and nodded, turning around and pointing her wand at the ground. The snow began to build itself up off the ground and become a four foot high wall. It circled half way around them and when it was finished, she turned to Ron and her jaw dropped. Behind them was a mountain of snowballs. She guessed that there had to be at least two hundred of them there. Ron stood up and brushed off his legs while saying,

"Are you read?" she nodded, a little unsure of what she'd gotten herself into. He handed her a couple snowballs and shouted,

"Ready Harry?"

"Bring it on Ron! Prepare to be crushed!" he shouted back.

"Three, two, one, GO!"

Snowballs flew through the air, falling to the ground around them left and right. Hermione just barely dodged one that was speeding straight toward her head. Ron was catapulting two or three snowballs at a time over the short wall toward Harry and Ginny. Hermione jumped up and hurtled one across the yard, laughing so hard she nearly fell over when it collided with the back of Harry's head. Ron ducked behind the wall and high fived Hermione while listening to Harry's shouting. More snowballs flew over their heads, just barely missing them, when a large mass of snow landed on Ron. They looked up and saw Ginny flying away on her broom laughing.

Ron and Hermione both put their hands in the air and he shouted,

"We give up; you guys win!" Ginny and Harry laugh triumphantly at the surrender and walked out from behind their fort. Hermione grabbed a snowball and threw it, hitting Harry in the stomach. He toppled over in laughter and Ron laughed hard at the sight.

"You can never be too old for a good snowball fight," she said happily.

They four friends made their way inside, brushing off the snow before walking into the kitchen and grabbing hold of the steaming mugs of hot chocolate that sat on the table.

. . . .

Hermione sat on her bed and pulled the book Ginny had given her off the pile of gifts. Harry, Ron and Ginny had all gone out to play a two on one game of Quidditch, and even though they asked her, Hermione wouldn't budge from her 'no flying' policy.

She flipped open the cover of the book and a small note fell out. On it was a page number scribbled in what appeared to be Ginny's writing. Hermione set the note aside and flipped to the page. The title read, _Memory Recollection: Reliving Your Favorite Memories. _Intrigued, she continued to read until she read the last paragraph on the page.

_"Memories are precious to most people. For some, simply thinking about a specific memory brings them happiness. Others however, prefer to rewatch the memories. Unless you happen to own a pensive, this isn't always an easy task. The spell introduced in this chapter will allow you to watch your fondest memories without the need for a pensive." _

She turned the page anxiously and read the basic procedure on how the spell worked, and then finally came to the spell.

"_The spell derives from the English term 'the past remembered' and is used to accurately recall any memory thought of by the user. One must simply point their wand at their temple and say 'Memoria Praeteritorum' while thinking about the memory they wish to watch. To leave the memory, simply say 'Finite Memoria'." _

Hermione grabbed her wand and held it tightly in her hands as she decided on which memory to use. Although she'd never used a pensive before, she knew the basic idea behind it. Harry had tried to explain it to her, but he hadn't been able to find a way to do it justice just through words. Finally a memory filled her mind and she reread the instructions.

Her wand held to her temple, she said the spell clearly and closed her eyes. She was suddenly back in school; back in her body the night Draco asked her to be his girlfriend. She felt every touch like it was really happening.

_They flew down and landed beneath the large oak tree that Hermione had sat under for most of her fifth year. Draco propped his broom up against the side of the tree and walked over to Hermione, who had made her way down to the edge of the lake. He wrapped his arms around her gently and felt her lean her head against his chest. _

"_I've missed this place so much..." she sighed. He rested his chin on the top of her head and said,_

"_Me too. Come sit down with me." He sat down on the ground beneath the tree and rested his back against it, Hermione sitting on his lap curled up against his chest to keep warm. He breathed deeply, taking in the fresh air, and then sighed. Sitting like this with Hermione felt right to him, like they were meant to be like this. _

_'I have to ask her now. If I don't I might never be able to do it. Come on Draco, you can do this. Just man up and ask her.' _

"_Hermione?" he asked quietly. _

"_Uh-huh?" she replied with a sigh. _

"_Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, his voice no more than a whisper. He could feel her smile against his chest, her heart beating hard in her chest._

"_I would love to," she told him excitedly. _

"_Draco?" she asked him, butterflies fluttering in her stomach waiting to burst out at any moment. _

"_What is it?" _

"_I...I love you," she told him nervously, hoping it wasn't too much too fast. She looked up into his soft grey eyes and waited. _

"_I love you too Hermione. You have no idea how happy I feel to finally be able to say that to you," he told her. His eyes were so happy and full of light. This was truly the happiest he'd ever been in his entire seventeen years. After all these years of brooding and self loathing, he finally had the chance to be happy. Hermione could tell that this was his chance to change for good and make things right. Draco pulled out his wand and flicked it, causing three yellow canaries to fly out of the tip and circle around them. Hermione giggled loudly as the birds perched on her legs and started singing. Her peals of laughter cut through the silence of the night, echoing and bringing the night alive around them. There were only two words Draco could think of to describe this moment. _

_Absolutely perfect. _

_The birds flew back into the tip of Draco`s wand, leaving Hermione smiling wide and Draco happier than ever. A small breeze blew over them from off the lake, causing Hermione to shiver against Draco`s warm chest. She curled up closer to him, breathing in his smell and listening to his now steady heart beat. _

"_We'd better get back to our dormitory," he whispered into her ear. She sighed and looked up at him. Her soft brown eyes seemed to melt as they met his and gazed longingly into them. _

"_I suppose you're right," she said sadly, shifting onto the cool damp ground before standing up. Draco stood up and wrapped his arms around her protectively. He kissed her once then, with his lips just barely touching hers, he whispered,_

"_I wish we could stay in this moment forever. Then my life would truly be complete." _

"_Do you think that day will ever come? The day when your life would truly be complete?" she asked quietly. He smiled and said,_

"_It's possible..." She eyed him and said,_

"_What would that day be exactly?" He stared into her eyes, making sure to keep full contact with them as he said,_

"_That day, if it were to ever happen, would be the day I marry you." _

"_You're such a hopeless romantic, and it's so cute," Hermione said. He whispered, _

"_I love you Hermione Granger." _

"_And I love you, Draco Malfoy." He kissed her deeply once, then with his arm still wrapped around her waist, grabbed his broom and got on. She got on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly._

The memory faded as she recited the spell, opening her eyes and letting them adjust to the light.


	14. Chapter 14

**Here you go guys, Chapter 14 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair hot off my laptop and ready for you to read. Enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.  
**

Chapter 14: Unexpected

Day two hundred and sixteen. Three hundred and thirty one days left.

Valentine's Day, now one of Hermione's least favorite holidays, was happening today. The Ministry had been decorated with little flying cupids and hearts that floated from office to office and exploded into five new hearts whenever someone touched them. It all reminded her of Umbridge's office at Hogwarts, which didn't help her mood in the least.

She didn't have anything planned for the evening, other than her usual journal entry and a memory before bed. Harry was taking Ginny out to dinner and Ron was spending the night at the house. She was happy that they finally admitted their feelings for each other, seeing as it had been nearly three years since they first started dating and broke up.

The whole day went by faster than she'd been expecting, but she didn't mind. That just meant more time to write and more memories to watch. She'd gone a little overboard during the Christmas holidays and spent nearly fourteen hours watching memories. She'd have kept going, but Ginny came and distracted her.

Watching them had given her something to do with her spare time, and she'd also found that it reduced the number of nightmares she was having drastically. She hadn't had a nightmare in almost a week now and was quite glad about it.

She stood up from her desk, grabbing her coat and walking quickly out of her office. She slammed into someone and fell backwards, dropping her coat and landing hard on her tailbone.

"Ugh why don't you watch where you're- Oh, it's you," she said, standing up quickly and picking up her coat. On the floor in front of her was Ron, his red hair ruffled and his bright blue eyes gleaming up at her. She held out a hand to him, which he took and pulled himself upright.

"Are you headed home?" he asked, straightening out his robes as they walked.

"Yeah, I think so. What about you?" she asked. Although she hoped he'd made other plans, there was a small part of her that wished he would ask her to go for dinner or just do something. It confused her that she was thinking that, but she shook her head slightly and focused back on his answer.

"Well, I hadn't had anything planned really. I actually was wondering if you would want to join me for dinner. That's why I came here. See, I had planned to wait until you got home, but I figured I'd go out and ask you while we were out," he told her, pulling on his coat. She was taken aback slightly, but snapped out of it and said,

"Uhm, sure, that would be wonderful. Where did you have in mind?" He shrugged and said,

"No idea. I was going to go spy on Harry and Ginny at their restaurant but now that I think about it, I would be killed if they caught me. Do you know of any places?" She shook her head, not wanting to go to the same restaurant she was kidnapped from, even though it was her favorite place to go.

"Want to just go for a butterbeer and order something in?" she asked suddenly. He raised an eyebrow at her for a second, but shrugged and said,

"Sure, why not."

They walked in silence to the apperation point and Ron grabbed her hand tightly. She looked up at him and he smiled, turning on the spot and pulling her with him. A brief moment of suffocation and the feeling of being squeezed left them both breathless and slightly uncomfortable as they landed in an alleyway next to the Leaky Cauldron. Ron gave Hermione's hand a light squeeze before dropping it and walking out of the alley onto the quiet street.

It was close to eight o'clock, so the dinner rush was just finishing up and people were leaving the restaurants. They walked in and sat down at a table in one of the back corner booths. Two menus appeared in front of them; Ron picked his up quickly and skimmed over it, occasionally glancing over the edge to look at Hermione. She'd propped her chin in her hand and was reading the menu flat on the table.

The waiter came by and they gave him their orders, handing him the menus and watching him walk away. He came back a moment later with two butterbeers and smiled, setting them on the table and walking away once again.

"So... How was your day?" Ron asked shyly, breaking the silence that had settled between them. She looked down at her drink, which was clasped between her hands, and quietly said,

"It was ok. Not much happened. What about you?" He shrugged, something Hermione noticed he did a lot.

"It was pretty uneventful. There haven't been any new cases lately so the Auror Office has been on hold," he explained. She nodded and sipped her butterbeer, enjoying the warming feeling it gave her as it ran down her throat into her stomach.

"Do you mind if I ask you something? It might be kind of personal," he asked suddenly in a low voice. She eyed him and nodded, waiting nervously for the question.

"How are you feeling? I mean, how are you coping with...well, you know..." he asked feeling slightly embarrassed. Her heart beat fast. She knew that this question would come up eventually, but she'd pictured someone like her mother or Ginny asking her, not Ron.

"It's been... hard, to say the least. I've gone through two full journals already. Since Christmas, things have been getting better. My father gave me that picture and I got that spell book from Ginny, so I've been using that to rewatch some of my old memories," she explained.

"Wait, is that what you do every night when you go up and lay on your bed for an hour?" he asked abruptly, a bright blush forming on her cheeks at the suddenness of his question.

"Yeah, it is..." she answered shyly. He touched her hand briefly, pulling away when she looked down at their hands, and said,

"Don't worry about it, I don't mind."

He sat silently, his hands folded on the table next to his drink. Hermione was getting anxious at his silence, and remembered something she'd learned the previous summer. Though she'd never mastered it, she gotten quite good at the modified form of Legilimency Draco had taught her that allowed her to listen to people's thoughts. She focused hard and could suddenly hear Ron's words in her ears, even though his lips weren't moving.

_"I'll never be able to tell her how I really feel. Not when she's still in love with him and he's in Azkaban. Nothing will ever be the same now that she's got him. I'll just get to sit on the sidelines and watch her live her life happily. She deserves it though, after everything she's been through. She deserves someone who can take care of her like he can. He really cares for her..."_

Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and his eyes snapped up to meet hers. The bright blue orbs that were usually present had been replaced with a darker, unhappier colour.

"Ron, you won't have to sit on the sidelines. You're going to find love some day, I know it," she told him quietly, her warm brown eyes filled with reassurance.

"I'll never find anyone as amazing as you Hermione. Even when your life is turned upside down, you still fight through it and go on living. You still find the heart to help someone else. No one I know could match your level of compassion," he retorted. She shook her head and smiled weakly.

"I'm not strong, Ron. I spend my nights rewatching memories and writing letters to a man I may never see again. I put on a facade to make people believe I'm living my life semi-normally, when really I'm dying inside every day. That's not strong."

"You have a different sense of what strong is Hermione. To me, I see a girl who had her very reason for living ripped away from her and she still kept fighting and living her life. You may not believe you're strong, but in my eyes you're the strongest person I know."

She stared at him, not wanting to believe anything he was saying, but knowing deep down that he was right. He interrupted her train of thought by saying,

"Listen. I don't know what you and Draco had, but whatever it was, it had to have been strong. If it weren't, you wouldn't still wear the ring he gave you. It took me a long time to realize that we would never have what you two have together, and that helped me let you go. Do I still have feelings for you? Absolutely, but I know that his are stronger."

Ron squeezed her hand and got up from his seat, pulling some money out of his pocket and setting it on the table while Hermione stood up and pulled on her coat. They walked out into the chilly February air and walked down the street a little ways. Ron held out his arm for Hermione to take and turned on the spot, disapperating back to the house and landing in the middle of the living room. He pulled out his wand and brought the fire to life in the mantle, taking off his coat and walking into the kitchen.

"I'll make something, you just sit and relax," he told her as he washed his hands. She smiled and sat at the counter, watching him wave his wand and pull out ingredients. Within twenty minutes, a lasagne was baking in the oven and Ron had taken Hermione with him back to the living room to sit and wait.

The fire had warmed up the room considerably, which Hermione enjoyed as she sat down. Ron sat next to her and rested his arm on the back of the couch behind Hermione. She looked down at her hands and said,

"Thanks for this Ron, I really appreciate everything you've done for me the past couple months."

"It's no problem really. That's what friends do," he replied. She leaned into him slightly, feeling the warmth of his chest against her arm.

She craved the feel of someone's arms wrapped protectively around her. It had been so long since anyone had held her and she missed it so much. After a few moments of careful deliberation, she quietly said,

"Ron, will you do something for me? It might sound silly..." He looked down at her and nodded. She took a deep breath and said,

"Will you hold me?" He looked stunned at first, but realized what she'd asked and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tightly to him. She rested her head on his chest and slid an arm around his waist.

"Thanks," she whispered. He slouched a little lower into the couch and held her tightly, closing his eyes and relaxing for the first time in a long time. Hermione watched the fire flicker in the fireplace, her eyes gradually drooping shut as she fell into a light sleep.

The timer rang half an hour later, making both of them jump out of their light sleeps. Hermione rubbed her eyes and Ron stretched, standing up when Hermione shifted to a sitting position. She stood up and followed him to the kitchen, feeling slightly cooler from not being directly in front of the fire. The oven emitted a warm heat when Ron opened the door and used his wand to pull the dish out and set it on the stovetop.

They ate in the living room, Hermione curled up next to Ron with her plate on her lap. She took a bite and said,

"This is delicious Ron. Did your mother teach you this recipe?" He nodded and took a large mouthful, savouring the taste. They sat and ate in silence, watching the fire crackle and relaxing.

Hermione's mind swam with thoughts as they sat in silence. She thought of Draco and how much she missed him; she thought of Ron and how good of a friend he was being to her. She let out an audible sigh, curling up against Ron's chest a little more. While her mind wandered, she thought about how soft and strong Ron's lips were when he kissed her. Draco was sweet and passionate with every kiss, always making her feel special.

She could feel Ron's hand begin to trace circles on her back as she lay there, deep in thought. It felt good, and she closed her eyes.

"You're a really sweet person Ron. I hope you find someone special who can appreciate you for the amazing person you are," she whispered.

"Thanks Hermione," he whispered back. She yawned lightly and looked at her watch. It was almost midnight. Realization of how tired she was washed over her like a crushing wave. She sat up and rubbed her eyes gently, yawning again. Ron stretched and stood up, taking their plates into the kitchen. He returned to find that Hermione had disappeared; a frown formed on his freckled face. He flicked off the lights and began to make his way up the stairs when he heard something coming from Hermione's room. He tiptoed to the door and listened carefully, realizing that she was crying.

Ron looked in and saw her sitting on her bed with a picture in her hands. She set it on the table and jumped when she saw him standing in the doorway, wiping the tears from her eyes and sliding off the bed toward her dresser to grab her pyjamas. He walked in and took the pyjamas from her, setting them on the bed and pulling her tightly into a hug. She hugged him back tightly, her breathing still slightly shaky. After a moment, he lifted her chin to look in her eyes.

Hermione could see the emotion in his bright blue eyes as he stared down at her. As if on impulse, she leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips. She didn't realize how long it had been since she'd last been kissed until this moment. The hunger for more rose in her chest, but she waited for him to react first. Ron searched her eyes for some sign of regret, but found nothing. He leaned in and kissed her again, growing more and more eager with each passing second. She kissed him back hard, increasing the passion and tangling her fingers in his long red hair.

They broke apart only momentarily to breathe before resuming. When they finally did break apart, Ron rested his forehead against Hermione's and gazed into her eyes. Her hands slid from around his neck to his chest, each hand grabbing a bit of his shirt and clenching it tightly.

"Goodnight Ron," she whispered, letting him go and walking to the bed. He walked to the door, turning back and saying,

"Goodnight Hermione." He left and she sank down on her bed, pyjamas in hand, and began to cry again. The feeling of guilt swallowed her whole as she thought of Draco, locked up in Azkaban while she was here snogging her best friend. Hermione slipped into her pyjamas and shut off the light, crawling into bed and pulling the covers tightly around her before falling into a deep sleep.

. . . .

Day two hundred and seventy seven. Two hundred and seventy days left.

In all his life Ron never imagined that he would fall for someone so suddenly. She merely walked by and smiled, saying a polite hello as she passed. He recognized her. Her name was Noah Dawson and she lived just three houses down from Hermione. He'd come to find out that she'd just recently moved here from Canada, where she'd gone to a Muggle university to study literature.

Ron was out on his morning walk when he bumped into Noah.

"Sorry about that. I don't think we've been introduced before. I'm Ron," he told her, holding out his hand. She shook it and replied,

"Nice to meet you Ron. I'm Noah. I think I live just down the street from you."

"That's an interesting name. I've never met a girl named Noah before," he said as they walked.

"Thanks. I picked it myself." He raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously and she laughed.

"I know what you're thinking. You probably think it sounds crazy right? Well, my name used to be Cassidy, but I didn't really like my name, so when I turned five my parents let me pick my name. Awesome, right?" she explained. He laughed at the idea of getting to pick his own name and said,

"Yeah, awesome. Where are you from? Your accent is a bit odd."

"My accent? You must be hearing things. You're the one with the accent. And I'm from Canada, by the way," she told him matter-of-factly. It surprised him that she said something that way and it didn't remind him of the way Hermione always said things. It was less stuck up than how Hermione would say it.

"You're crazy; you're the one with the accent. I'm just talking normally," he retorted. She smirked at him and did something that shocked him. She spoke with the most amazingly impersonated English accent as she mocked him.

"_I'm just talking normally. _As if Ron, where I'm from, your accent would get you any girl you wanted. We love British accents. My AP Lit professor had an accent kind of like yours and believe you me; he was the most popular professor on campus."

Ron was speechless. The girl walking beside him was quite possibly one of the most eccentric people she'd ever met, and she had a cute accent. She stopped abruptly and turned to face Ron while asking,

"Would you want to come over for some tea?" Slightly shocked by the question, he nodded dumbly and followed behind her down the sidewalk. He admired her as she walked with determination and a dominant, but not overwhelming, confidence. She was similar to Hermione in a lot of ways, but she was less obnoxious with her intellect. Their looks were completely different as well. While Hermione had long, slightly frizzy brown curls, silky brown eyes and an ivory complexion, Noah had straight red hair and icy blue eyes, her face spotted with a few light freckles.

A thought suddenly filled his mind that made all comparisons come to a screeching halt. What was she? He couldn't tell if she was a witch or a Muggle. What would happen if she were a Muggle? Would he have to make up some lame excuse about why he couldn't be around her anymore? He shook the thoughts from his head and followed her down the street. They slowed slightly when they were a few houses away and Ron looked into the sitting room window of the house. Hermione was sitting on the couch reading, no different from how she'd been when he'd left for his walk.

Noah's house wasn't much different from Hermione's. The only difference was the color of the walls in certain rooms. He admired her contemporary style, noting the deep sapphire color of the kitchen walls that made the white cupboards stand out.

Noah began to brew the tea by hand, filling the pot with water and pulling the tea bags out of the drawer beside her.

"So, how long have you lived in the neighbourhood?" she asked curiously. He sat at the counter and said,

"Oh I don't actually live here. I'm just staying with a friend for a while. She's been through a rough time with her fiancé so I offered to keep her company for a while." She nodded and placed the pot on the stove, turning on the burner and joining Ron at the counter.

"Ahh, just friends. How long have you two known each other?"

"Going on nine years now. We met at school," he replied. She watched him, analyzing his explanations, and asked,

"What's your last name? If you don't mind me asking, that is." He shook his head and answered,

"It's Weasley." Noah's eyed grew wide with realization and she said,

"Oh my god, you're Ron Weasley? As in, the Golden Trio's Ron Weasley?"

"Uhm, yeah that's me. Wait, are you a-" he began to ask, but she cut him off and said,

"No, but my brothers are. Holy crap, Ron Weasley is in my freaking house! You have no idea how long I've wanted to meet you. You are the coolest person ever!" Ron went red slightly at the admiration she showed toward him. No one had ever paid much attention to him specifically. It was always Harry they wanted to talk about. Harry the golden boy, the chosen one. Now, he was sitting next to someone who thought he was the coolest person ever. It boggled him, and he was wishing right about now he could get Hermione to explain this all to him logically. Wait, that was it! He would introduce Noah to Hermione.

"Noah, how would you like to meet Hermione?" he asked. Her whole face lit up and she excitedly squealed,

"Oh my god that would make my day! Could you really do that? Where would we have to go, I mean doesn't she live in the Wizarding world?" He shook his head and said,

"She lives three houses down from you actually. Come on, let's go." She quickly took the teapot off the burner and grabbed her coat, running to the door behind Ron.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone, Steph here with the long awaited chapter 15. I hope you like it. Personally, it's not one of my favorites, but it's still good. Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP  
**

Chapter 15: Adjusting

January tenth. The reassessment trial day.

Hermione sat nervously in the court room, Harry by her side.

"Five hundred and forty seven days. It's been a year and a half. Do you think you're ready for this Hermione?" Harry asked quietly. Hermione took a deep, calming breath and said,

"I'm ready. I've been ready since the last time we were in here Harry. It's been too long."

The Minister walked in and took his seat. A single chair appeared in the middle of the floor. Hermione clutched Harry's arm tightly as they waited. Everyone's attention was turned toward the door as it opened.

An enclosed group of four guards entered the room and Hermione looked away, fearing the worst. Harry squeezed her arm, silent as he watched Draco sit down in the chair. He didn't look much different. His hair was the same; his eyes were the same bright grey they'd always been. The only thing different about him was his size. He'd gained at least thirty pounds of muscle and looked leaner; stronger.

"The case of Draco Malfoy is in session. Now, Mr. Malfoy was sentenced to a year and a half time in Azkaban for the confessed murder of Lucius Malfoy. That time is up and he was returned to the Ministry for reassessment. Mr. Malfoy, it says here in your file that you had a clean run during your sentence. Good behaviour and reflection of your mistakes were recorded by the St. Mungo's healer who evaluated you. You will now be given time to give reason why your release should be approved. You have the floor," announced Shacklebolt. Draco stood and cleared his throat, pausing only momentarily to collect his thoughts before speaking.

"As I stand before you today, I will not try to plead my innocence. I've realized and come to terms with my severe mistakes and will accept whatever verdict you choose. I have nothing more to say Minister, thank you." He sat back in the chair and watched the Minister carefully.

After five minutes of silence, the Minister said,

"All those in favour of Mr. Malfoy returning to Azkaban on an extended sentence?" No one in the room so much as breathed.

"All those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges and granting release?" he asked, glancing around. Every single hand was raised, as well as the Minister's. He hit the anvil against the podium and in a booming voice said,

"Cleared of all charges. As Minister of Magic I herby release you, Draco Malfoy, from your imprisonment in Azkaban and lift the criminal trace. You are free to go."

Many of the Wizengmot members rose and exited the room. Draco watched the Minister leave and stood up from the chair. Hermione jumped up and ran down the steps to the main floor toward Draco. He turned and held his arms out to Hermione, catching her as she launched herself into his arms in a flurry of tears and joyful sobs. He held her tightly in his arms and whispered soothing words to her as she sobbed into his chest.

Harry sat and watched their heartfelt exchange go on for close to ten minutes before standing up and walking down to the floor. He held a hand out to Draco and said,

"Welcome back. It's good to see you again." Draco shook his hand firmly and replied,

"Likewise Harry, I'm so glad to be back." He clutched Hermione tightly as they made their way through the Ministry toward the apperation point. Harry grabbed hold of the both of them and disapperated. They landed in the living room of the house Draco hadn't set foot in in over a year.

It was like walking into a memory. Everything was as he'd remembered it, all the pictures in place, nothing moved or changed. He didn't want to move for fear it was all a dream that would disappear. The only thing that separated Draco from his belief that this was a dream was the feel of Hermione beneath his arm. She was so warm, so real. Harry interrupted his thoughts by patting his shoulder and saying,

"I'm going to Noah and Ron's for dinner, so I'll leave you two alone to catch up. Bye Draco, bye Hermione." Hermione reached out and hugged Harry, thanking him before he turned and exited the house. After a moment of pure silence, Draco asked,

"Who's Noah?" Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and said,

"She's a close friend of Ron's. She lives just down the street from us." Draco nodded, resting his forehead against Hermione's and staring into her eyes.

"It's been five hundred and forty seven days since I last kissed you. And last time, I kissed you like I would never see you again, but here I am," he whispered deeply, the warmth of his breath washing over Hermione and making her shiver. He leaned in and brushed his lips gently against hers, pulling back only enough to look into her eyes. She pulled his lips back to hers and kissed him hard, the passion growing as he deepened the kiss.

His skin was electrified; every touch from Hermione sending sparks flying. It had been too long since he'd last felt this good. He picked her up and began to navigate his way up the stairs toward their room.

Draco sat them down on the bed, Hermione reaching for his shirt and coming to terms with the new muscle he'd gained. Everything was much more defined now; his arms were bigger, his abs were tougher, but he was still the soft, warm man she'd fallen in love with. He handled her gently, trying to control his new strength.

. . . .

Three solid knocks on the door indicated Harry's arrival. Ron jumped up off the floor and jogged to the door, swinging it open and standing aside to let his best friend in. Harry shed his coat and hung it on the banister before following Ron into the sitting room. Noah was seated on the floor in front of the coffee table, which currently held a chess board, and greeted Harry as he sat down.

"Where's Hermione? Isn't she coming over too?" she asked as Ron sat down on the other side of the table. Harry shook his head and said,

"No, she's had a long day and wanted to stay home. Her fiancé just got back today so I left them alone to catch up." Noah waggled her eyebrows suggestively and Ron rolled his eyes at her.

"Ooh, so they're going to 'catch up' are they? Well maybe tomorrow she'll bring him over to meet me or we can all go out to dinner. Hey Harry, you should invite Ginny to come along and we can make it a group date," she suggested, winking at Harry.

Harry pondered the idea for a while, listening subconsciously to Ron and Noah playing chess. He lounged back on the couch and watched Ron get his arse kicked by Noah. He was such a horribly obvious flirt and she was eating it up. They were perfect for each other; they just didn't know it yet.

. . . .

The sunlight woke Draco the next morning. He breathed in and stretched, slowly adjusting to his surroundings. He was used to opening his eyes to the sunlight shining in through a small barred window, the cool stone walls around him cutting off his access to the outside world.

Hermione shifted on his chest and he jumped slightly. She was so warm and soft beneath his strong arms. Her smooth skin rubbed against his and he relished the feeling, remembering the night before and smiling. Although they hadn't actually slept together, they'd come close. Hermione had stopped them, telling him she simply wasn't ready no matter how badly she wanted to.

It suddenly occurred to him that the routine he'd created for himself was no longer needed. He couldn't help but think that his day would feel empty in a way. Sure, he would return to work soon enough, but when would he go running? He always ran every night after dinner. He was grateful that it was a weekend though. He needed the time to readjust to life and make up for the lost time with Hermione.

As Draco lay in his silent thoughts, Hermione began to wake up as well. She felt the warm body beneath her, not remembering who it was, and mumbled,

"Ron, why are you in my bedroom?" Draco chuckled and quietly said,

"Hermione it's me Draco. Ron's not here." She breathed in, not recognizing the scent of the body beneath her and with a bit more annoyance in her voice she said,

"I'm serious Ron; you really shouldn't be in my room. Stop messing around." A large, calloused hand brushed the side of her face and she opened her eyes.

The platinum blonde man smiled down at her, his big grey eyes full of life as he watched her. She sat up cautiously, surveying the scene and realizing that it wasn't Ron after all. Draco's bare, muscular chest shone in the morning sunlight as he lay there, completely still, and watched her.

A soft smile appeared on her face when she remembered everything that had happened the previous day and she settled back down on his chest.

"Morning love," he whispered softly, playing with a curl. She smiled against his chest and whispered,

"Morning. How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully. I'd forgotten how comfortable our bed was until last night," he replied. Hermione giggled quietly and said,

"I can imagine. I haven't slept that well since before you left." This made Draco frown. He remembered those first few nights in Azkaban and how lonely and hopeless he felt.

"I missed you so much... I'm just so grateful I got to have you back again," Hermione whispered. Draco kissed the top of her head and whispered,

"Me too. I love you."

"I love you too... So, what do you want to do today?" she asked, rolling off him and sitting up. He pushed his hair up off his face and shrugged, sitting up next to her. His stomach growled and they both laughed.

"I think I know what we're going to start the day with. Come on, let's go eat," Hermione told him, crawling over and kissing him before jumping off the bed. Draco stood up and pulled her into a hug.

While Hermione made breakfast, Draco went and grabbed the paper from the front door. There was a letter folded into the paper that fell out and fluttered to the ground. It was from Harry. Draco walked back into the kitchen and sat down, tearing open the letter and reading it out loud.

"_Hermione,_

_Noah had the 'brilliant' idea that we should all go out to dinner tonight. We would've asked you both last night, but Noah was determined to beat Ron at chess so we didn't make it over. Anyways, we were thinking of meeting at that restaurant you told us about at around seven tonight. Just owl me back and let me know your answer. Mrs. Weasley said to tell Draco that she's glad he's back and well and they hope to see you two for dinner sometime soon. _

_Harry." _

"They want us to go to dinner with them? Who's Harry going to go with? I mean, Ron's probably going with that Noah girl and you're going with me," Draco asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and said,

"He's obviously going to bring Ginny. They've been in love with each other for nearly six years now and they still won't admit their feelings. I told Harry to be more like you and just outright tell her how he feels. You did it, it worked, and now I'm marrying you." Draco chuckled, setting the letter down on the counter and walking over to Hermione. He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her neck.

"Funny how that worked out. I'm glad I said what I said that day on the train. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he told her sweetly. She blushed a deep crimson and said,

"I can say the same thing."

. . . .

Draco sat on their bed and listened to the water running through the closed bathroom door. Hermione was singing to herself, and he listened intently, his eyes trailing aimlessly around the room. He stopped when he noticed that there were new books on the shelf, one's he hadn't seen before. He stood up, walking slowly over to the bookcase, raising his hand to meet the bindings on the four new books on the shelf.

They were all leather bound; he thought they looked kind of like notebooks. They were numbered, so he took the first one and opened it to the first page. On it was Hermione's writing, messy and tearstained. He read the first few pages and felt the all too familiar tug on his heart.

Draco flipped through the first book, and then proceeded to flip through the next three, all of them filled with the same tearstained pages full of her writing. She'd filled journal after journal with letters to him that she could never send. She'd poured her heart out onto these pages, knowing she'd never be able to send them to him. Never knowing whether or not she would even see him again.

"I see you've found them. I thought you would find them sooner or later, so I didn't try to hide them. Now you know." Hermione's voice filled the silence that hung in the air. Draco jumped and whirled around, dropping the books onto the bed. Her solemn eyes reflected the pages in the journals.

She'd changed back into her pyjamas and was standing against the wall, her wet hair falling heavily down her back.

"You thought you'd lost me for good, didn't you?" he asked quietly, unmoving from where he stood. Hermione nodded once, her eyes staring at the ground. Draco sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes still on Hermione as he spoke.

"I thought about it... I thought about just giving up and not fighting to come back to you, but I knew that it would literally kill you to know that I gave up; that I stopped trying." The hurt flashed across her face as she stood completely still against the wall. Her voice came in a broken whisper as she said,

"Why can't we just put this behind us? I hate remembering what it was like to have you gone."

Draco patted the bed beside him and watched Hermione make her way over and sit beside him, leaning into his arm.

"We will some day, but until then we're just going to have to wait until we can fully accept the past and move on. I know we can handle this; we can handle just about anything," he told her, wrapping an arm around her.

. . . .

"Hermione, we're over here!" Noah called from their table. Hermione and Draco walked through the crowded restaurant and slipped out of their jackets before sitting down.

"You must be Draco! I'm Noah, it's nice to finally meet you," Noah greeted exuberantly, holding her hand out to Draco as he sat across from her. He shook it and said,

"Nice to meet you too."

"Glad you guys could make it," Harry said quickly, avoiding any tension.

"We wouldn't miss it Harry. Honestly, we needed an excuse to get out of the house for a while," Hermione told him, grabbing Draco's hand beneath the table and squeezing it tightly.

After ordering and finally receiving their food, everyone was silent. Noah and Ron exchanged humorous looks in silent conversation while Ginny and Harry were making the awkward silence worse. Draco and Hermione seemed to be the only ones taking the opportunity to sit quietly in each other's presence without feeling awkward.

"So Harry, I hear you're working in the Auror Office now," Draco said, having had enough of the silence.

"Yeah, both Ron and I are. It's been slow lately, not that we want it to pick up though. Less crime in the world, the better," Harry answered. Draco looked over to Ron, who was quietly arguing with Noah about their chess games the night before and smirked.

"Well that's always good to hear I suppose. We don't need any more people like me running around," he laughed. Everyone but Hermione laughed at his comment. She gave a disgruntled huff, muttered something about needing some air and walked away, pulling on her jacket as she went.

"Someone should go talk to her, shouldn't we?" Noah asked, standing up from her chair. Ron grabbed her by the hand and she blushed.

"Just let her go. I'm sure she's fine; she is Hermione after all," Ron warned her. She sat back down and eyed Draco, who was currently staring at the door longingly. For him, any moment away from Hermione was nearly intolerable.

"You should go; I can see it's bothering you. Go talk to her," Noah whispered to him. Draco raised an eyebrow at her and questioned her motives slightly. She smiled and nodded, telling him she was right and that he should go.

"I'll be back," Draco told them hurriedly, taking his coat and slipping from the restaurant.

The air was cool and snow was falling gently from the pale night sky. Hermione was sitting on a bench nearby, her hair covered in flakes of snow and her breath fogging in the air.

"You'll freeze out here if you sit much longer," he said gently, his voice carrying through the dense air. Hermione looked up to see who had spoken, then turned her attention back to the ground. He walked over and sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close.

. . . .

"I wonder what's taking them so long." Ginny asked, glancing over at the door while cutting a piece of her dessert. Ron took the last bite of his dessert and with his mouth still full said,

"Fey pwobly awe awguwing abowt thumfing." Ginny rolled her eyes and Noah smacked the side of his head while saying,

"Don't talk with your mouth full Ron, it's disgusting. And I highly doubt their arguing about anything. He's only been out of Azkaban for a day and a half; she probably just isn't used to having him back yet. It's going to take time you know." Harry and Ginny nodded in agreement while Ron rubbed the back of his head and swallowed his food.

"One of these days Noah. You're going to regret hitting me all these times," he announced. She turned to him and with a mischievous smile on her face said,

"What would you do if I punched you?"

"What?" he asked clearly confused. She rolled her eyes and repeated herself.

"What would you do if I punched you?" He scowled at the thought and said,

"I dunno, I'd probably freak out or cry or something." Harry and Ginny held back their laughter, but Noah continued and said,

"No you wouldn't. You wouldn't do anything." Both Harry and Ginny burst into laughter and Ron looked horrified and puzzled at the same time. She really did confuse him sometimes. Noah mock punched his shoulder and he began to laugh along with the rest of them. They were silenced by Hermione and Draco rejoining them. Hermione's eyes were red and slightly puffy and Draco looked emotionally distraught.

"Well, what do you say we call it a night then? We could meet at my place for tea," Noah suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement and stood up, taking their jackets and walking toward the door. Ginny stopped Hermione once they were out of the restaurant and whispered,

"Are you alright? What happened out here earlier?" Draco scowled at Ginny, still holding Hermione's hand tightly. Hermione squeezed his hand reassuringly and whispered,

"It was nothing, I'm fine." Ginny gave her a disbelieving look, but nodded and ran to catch up with Harry.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey everyone, Steph here with chapter 16 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair. i hope you enjoy it. Review and tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.**

Chapter 16: The Wedding, Part 1

The Burrow. It had been nearly four years since Bill and Fleur's wedding had taken place and the plain backyard had once again been transformed into an elegant venue. Hermione watched from a bedroom window as the boys finished setting everything up, smiling when she saw Draco walk out.

His mother walked over and sat down next to him on the small wrought iron bench, taking his hand and talking to him. Hermione knew how much it meant to Draco to have his mother there, even with their rough past. A knock on the door followed by Ginny's voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts.

"Come in," she said sounding dreamlike. Ginny walked in carrying two garment bags, which she set on the bed before walking over beside Hermione. Ginny sighed and said,

"I can't believe today's the day. I mean, it seems like just yesterday you were telling me about how he proposed to you and now it's finally happening."

"I know. The past three years have flown by so fast," Hermione sighed in agreement. Harry's voice from behind them made them both jump as he said,

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything in here." In his hands was a small wrapped box. Ginny walked over and attempted to take the box from Harry while saying,

"Harry everyone knows that the gifts go downstairs." He pulled it from her reach and said,

"I've got specific permission from your mum saying that I could give this to Hermione. As long as we all get dressed in time, she's fine with it. Here Hermione, open it."

"What's in here Harry? It feels like a load of bricks!" Hermione gasped, nearly dropping the box as he handed it to her. They set it down on the bed and Hermione began to carefully unwrap the silver paper, revealing a smooth black box.

Inside the box was a pensieve no bigger that a dinner plate. It was made of what looked like a pearly white glass, but resembled stone to the touch.

"Harry, where did you get this... it's absolutely wonderful," Hermione asked, amazed. Harry chuckled and said,

"Well, that I can't tell you but I can say that I thought it would be a perfect gift for you. I know how much you love to watch all your old memories."

Hermione grabbed Harry and hugged him tightly.

"You're the greatest friend anyone could ever have! I'm serious Harry." He hugged her back and pulled away, walking toward Ginny while saying,

"I'm glad you like it. Well, I'd better get back down there. I'm supposed to be babysitting Teddy for Remus and Tonks while they help with the setup so I got Ron to watch him while I came up here. I'll see you guys later." He kissed Ginny on the cheek and waved to them both before walking back out the door.

Once she thought he was out of earshot, Ginny dropped down on the bed and began to rant.

"Oh my god, you have no idea how much I wish he would ask me to marry him already. We've been together for nearly three years now and he still won't even talk about it! I wish I could've been there when Draco proposed to you. The way you described it was amazing." Hermione laughed and picked up the pensieve, taking it over to the desk and setting it down. She took out her wand and tapped the edge of the pensieve, watching in amazement as it filled itself with a glassy, water-like substance that reflected the room around them of its surface.

"You said you wished you could have seen it, right?" Hermione asked, looking back at Ginny over her shoulder. Ginny jumped off the bed and ran over to Hermione, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Are you serious? This would make my day!" Ginny squealed exuberantly, jumping up and down slightly. Hermione put her wand to her temple and closed her eyes, shuddering slightly as she pulled the memory from her mind. She felt slightly empty as the memory left her mind completely and dropped it into the pensieve. Hermione and Ginny leaned in and submersed their faces in it. The memory swirled around the before becoming clear, even though everything was in shades of grey.

Ginny spotted the memory Draco and Hermione leaving the living room, Draco looking distressed and nervous, and pulled the future Hermione along with her as she followed the two. They two girls peaked into the room and saw Draco sitting on the couch with Hermione just beside him.

"My hand was right beside the box the whole time and I didn't even know it," Hermione whispered to Ginny as they watched the scene unfold.

"_Draco please tell me what's going on," she pleaded. When he didn't look at her, she took him by the sides of his face and forced him to look at her. Her eyes begged for an answer, and he saw that there were only thirty more seconds left. He stalled until he heard everyone counting down from ten, then slid down onto one knee in front of Hermione and pulled out the box. Her eyes were wide and she covered her gaping mouth with her hands as he said,_

"_Hermione Jane Granger, I love you and I'm hoping you'll say yes, so here goes everything. Will you marry me?" _

"Oh my god," Ginny squealed, but Hermione shushed her quickly.

"_Five, four, three-" everyone from the living room counted down. _

"_Draco I- Yes! Yes, absolutely yes!" she blurted. He smiled and kissed her as everyone shouted,_

"_Happy New Year!" He slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up, pulling her up with him. She jumped into his arms and kissed him again. They broke apart, their breathing heavy, and Draco said,_

"_Happy New Year Hermione."_

"_Happy New Year Draco," she replied. He hugged her tightly and simply stayed there, taking in the moment. _

The scene dissolved, bringing Hermione and Ginny back to the present. Ginny turned to Hermione and said,

"That was so much better than you described it! Seriously, if I hated him before, I don't anymore!" Hermione blushed and scooped up the memory with her wand, letting it slide back into her temple. A warm rush of happiness flooded through her momentarily before disappearing.

"He can be a gentleman when he wants to be. Now come on, we have to get ready," Hermione told her, picking up the garment bag with her dress in it and pulling the zipper open.

. . . .

"Uncle Harry! Uncle Harry! Come look what I can do!" Teddy laughed, clambering up the small tree in the backyard and standing on the top branch. His bright blue hair sat ruffled on his head and Harry watched as Teddy poised himself to jump.

"I can fly!" He shouted, launching himself off the branch and falling a bit before swooping down to the ground gracefully. His landing, however, wasn't so graceful. His feet caught the grass and he tripped face first into the shrubs that sat against the fence. Harry walked over and pulled Teddy from the shrub, brushing him off while saying,

"That was awesome buddy, but let's try and work on sticking the landing next time." Teddy nodded wildly and ran off, beginning to climb the tree again. His dress robes were covered in dirt and his hair was practically glowing as he played.

"Harry? Harry where are you?" Mrs. Weasley's voice asked through the crowd of people. Harry held up his hand and waved to get her attention.

"Oh there you are, I've been looking all over for you. You gave Hermione her gift then?" she asked when she finally reached Harry.

"I did, and she loved it," he replied, watching Teddy hide himself in the leaves. He knew Molly didn't like it when he jumped from the tree and didn't want to risk getting caught and sent to his parents.

"Oh well that's excellent. Now, I'll need you to find Ron and Draco in a minute here because you three need to start getting dressed. Also get Teddy cleaned up too. I can only imagine how dirty he's gotten and we don't want the ring bearer to be dirty. Fleur is getting Victoire ready so she's going to come find you when she's done," she explained, shaking her head at the thought of Teddy. Harry nodded and watched her walk back into the crowd of people that had begun to show up.

"You heard her Teddy, come on down," Harry shouted up to the top of the tree. Teddy jumped down and somersaulted onto the ground, landing on hands and knees. Harry chuckled and picked him up, brushing off the leaves and grass and finally noticing all the grass stains and dirt spots that covered his godson's robes.

"Sorry I got so dirty Uncle Harry, I just love to play," Teddy apologized as Harry pulled out his wand and cast _tergeo _on his robes, siphoning off the dirt and grass stains and returning his robes to their original state.

"It's ok Teddy, I'm not mad at you for it. It got cleaned up just as easy as it got dirty," Harry assured him, setting him down and taking his hand as they walked through the crowd toward the Burrow. Ron was standing in the kitchen talking to Draco when Harry and Teddy walked in.

"Sorry if we interrupted but Ron, your mum said we have to go get dressed. You too Draco," Harry told them. Teddy climbed up onto a chair and stood next to Harry, tugging at his sleeve and saying,

"Uncle Harry where's my mommy?" Harry scooped Teddy up and sat him on his hip, looking into the big blue eyes of his godson and saying,

"You're mommy is helping set up the wedding. Come with me and we'll go get you dressed up." He walked to the stairs before turning around and asking,

"You coming?"

"Yeah, we'll be up in a second. I just want to finish talking to Draco," Ron told him, waving him off. Harry gave them a reproachful look, but left them alone to finish talking.

Ron continued to glare at Draco once Harry was out of view.

"How can I trust that you've changed? You murdered your own father, who's to say you won't lose it one night and do the same to Hermione?" Ron whispered angrily at Draco. Draco fumed and balled his fists up at his sides, staring daggers at Ron. In a low, threatening voice, he said,

"How dare you talk about that? You have no idea what my life is like, so you have no right to judge me on something like that." Ron laughed once sarcastically and retorted,

"Oh I think I know. You love her until she makes you angry, then when things get tough, you abandon her and leave Harry and I to pick up the pieces. I still don't trust you Malfoy, never have, never will."

Draco stormed past Ron, knocking into his shoulder as he pushed his way to the stairs and stormed up to find Harry. He could hear Teddy laughing and followed the sound up to the very topmost bedroom.

. . . .

"Hermione, you look beautiful," Noah exclaimed as Hermione walked into the kitchen. Hermione blushed a deep red and replied,

"Thanks Noah. So, are we ready?"

"We are now," said a male voice from behind Hermione. She whirled around and nearly burst into tears when she saw her father standing behind her. She hugged him tightly and said,

"Dad, I thought you couldn't make it?" He squeezed her tightly then held her out at arm's length while saying,

"I wouldn't miss my only daughter's wedding. I've dreamt about walking you down the aisle since you were a baby, and now it's finally coming true." She smiled and walked through the kitchen to where everyone else had gathered. Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Ron and Noah were all standing at the door, the girls with their bouquets, waiting to head out. Harry flicked his wand and a piano began to play a gentle tune, signalling their arrival.

Harry and Ginny walked out first, the other two pairs following behind them. Hermione counted nervously in her head to five before slowly making her way out the door. The crowd of people seated in the chairs turned and let out audible reactions to Hermione's appearance. Hermione however, was paying no attention to the crowd. Her eyes met Draco's and everything else melted away; she felt her father give her hand a light squeeze to say they were nearly there.

Alan handed Hermione's hand to Draco and gave a sincere nod before turning and sitting next to his wife.

The Minister went through with the ceremony and by the time it was nearing the 'I do's', most of the front row was crying. He turned to Draco and said,

"Do you Draco; take Hermione, to be your wife?" Draco looked into Hermione's eyes and sweetly said,

"I do, and always will."

"And do you Hermione; take Draco, to be your husband," he asked. Hermione blushed and squeezed Draco's hands lightly while saying,

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic, you are now eternally bonded. You may kiss your bride," the minister said proudly, starting a round of applause.

Draco took Hermione's face in his hands, gently caressing her cheek before pulling her close and kissing her. It was a simple kiss, but it was filled with passion and joy. They broke apart a moment later, their foreheads resting against each other as they stared into each other's eyes.

They walked down the aisle and were bombarded by their parents. Hermione's parents both hugged her tightly and congratulated them while Draco's mother hugged him warmly and whispered something to him.

"Welcome to the family son," Alan told Draco, shaking his hand. Melissa hugged him while Narcissa hugged Hermione. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Noah were the next to come up to them. Harry and Ron both hugged Hermione at the same time.

"That was beautiful you guys, really. Mum wouldn't stop crying and you're not even her child," Ginny laughed, taking her turn to hug Hermione.

"Your godson Teddy and that little Victoire were adorable," Noah gushed, bumping into Ron slightly and blushing. Harry laughed and elbowed Ron suggestively.

"Uncle Harry! Uncle Harry I did it! Did I do good Uncle Harry?" Teddy shouted as he ran into the middle of the group, Victoire not far behind him. Harry scooped him up and tickled him while saying,

"You did awesome buddy! Good job!" Teddy giggled and squirmed until Harry put him down.

"You were wonderful too Victoire. You look so pretty in your dress," Harry complimented, tickling Victoire. She giggled and grabbed hold of Teddy, pulling him through the crowd of people toward their parents. Hermione giggled as they ran away and watched as some of their old school friends came up to wish them well.

. . . .

The reception had started only half an hour after the ceremony ended and already Noah and Ron were arguing about something. Hermione walked up to them, Draco glued to her side, and said,

"What's going on you two? It's a wedding; you're supposed to be happy."

"Ron won't even consider coming with me to visit my family back in Canada. He's being a stubborn, ignorant jerk!" Noah huffed, taking another half step away from Ron. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and shot a small glare at Ron, who glared back angrily, his eyes flitting between her and Draco.

"I can't stand this anymore, I'm leaving!" Ron announced before turning around and storming off toward the house. Noah sunk down into a chair, defeated, and looked at the dance floor.

"He's been like this all day. I don't know why and he won't tell me. I've tried to be nice and tolerate his crap but he just won't stop with the attitude," she sighed. Hermione patted Noah's shoulder and sat down beside her, pulling Draco into the seat next to her.

"Why was Ron glaring at you just then Draco?" Hermione asked him. Draco shrunk into the chair a bit and timidly said,

"We had a chat earlier today and it didn't go so well." Hermione stared at him while Noah rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to go talk to him right now," Hermione told the two, standing up and marching her way toward the house. She spotted Ron outside in the yard on the opposite side of the house and made her way quickly over to him. Draco and Noah just barely caught up to her when she began talking.

"Ron what did you say to Draco earlier today and why are you in such a bad mood?" she asked, her voice angry and annoyed because she was missing the best night of her life. Ron mumbled something about it being none of her business and tried to walk away but was stopped by her grabbing hold of his arm and beginning to yell at him. Draco pulled out his wand and cast _muffliato _around them so no one would hear their arguing and come looking.

"It is too my business Ronald and you know it! Now tell me what you said to him!" she shouted. He grimaced and glared at Draco while saying,

"I told him that I don't trust him and that I can't trust that if something happens and he gets mad that he won't do the same thing to you that he did to his own father! There, that's what I said to him. If you don't believe me, ask him yourself."

Noah unexpectedly slapped Ron so hard across the face that he was knocked backward slightly. He staggered back and grabbed his face, which now had a crimson red hand print on it.

"You self-centered, evil bastard! How could you even say that about Draco? He would never, ever do anything to hurt me, let alone kill me! Why would you even think to say that to him? You know damn well how much it's affected him, but you wouldn't think for one minute that maybe that actually hurts him. If you think for one minute that he could even come close to being capable to doing anything to me, then you've got something wrong with you Ronald Weasley!" Hermione shouted, her voice becoming strained.

Hermione whirled around to face Draco and saw not the face of the man she'd just happily married, but the face of the man she'd watched be dragged to Azkaban. The familiar tugging on her heart told her it was true that Ron had said those things to him because of the dead look she saw in his eyes.

"Draco... I know you would never do anything like that to me. I trust you; don't listen to him," she whispered, cupping his face in her hands and staring deep into his eyes. The saying 'the eyes are the windows to the soul' crossed her mind as she looked at Draco. The fear and resentment were masked by the hatred he felt for Ron, but not well enough that she couldn't see them. He looked completely defeated; like a Dementor had just sucked out every last happy memory that he'd ever had.

"Let's get back to the party, people are probably wondering where you two went. I'll talk to you when you've had time to think about your priorities and set them straight," she snapped at Ron, who was standing a good two feet from her as she nudged Hermione and Draco back toward the party. It had just begun to get dark as they sat down in their chairs. Mr. Weasley stood up and said,

"If everyone would please clear the floor, it's time for the father-daughter dance."

Hermione got up and took her father's hand, letting him lead her onto the dance floor as the music started to play. Draco brought his mother out onto the floor and began to dance with her as well.

"My beautiful little girl is all grown up," Alan said as he danced with Hermione. She smiled and blushed as he continued.

"You married a fine young man Hermione. I couldn't have picked anyone better for you than he is. He cares about you more than anyone I've seen and that's so important. I'm just glad you're happy with him."

"That means a lot to me dad, really it does," Hermione told him, her eyes brimming with tears. The song came to a close and Hermione hugged her father tightly, thanking him. Other people began to flood the dance floor and Hermione couldn't help but laugh when Teddy came up and asked her to dance. She picked him up and held him on her hip, taking one of his hands and beginning to spin around.

"You look really pretty Hermione," Teddy told her, smiling wide as they spun around. Hermione kissed his cheek and said,

"Thank you Teddy. You're looking quite handsome in your dress robes." He smiled and his hair turned a glowing shade of purple. Someone tapped Hermione's shoulder and said,

"Excuse me sir, but may I dance with this lovely young lady?" Teddy nodded wildly and hopped down from Hermione's arms, running over and sitting next to Victoire. Hermione turned and saw that Draco had been the one to ask, his hand held out in invitation.

His eyes were full of life once again, the bright grey colour they always were was back to normal from the dull, stormy grey they'd been before. Hermione took his hand and he spun her into his arms, pulling her against him and beginning to dance.

"Was it everything you thought it would be?" he asked her quietly. She nodded and said,

"I wouldn't change a thing. Not even Ron could ruin the night for me." Draco chuckled at this and kissed her. Hermione rested her forehead against his and quietly said,

"I love you." He kissed her again and whispered against her lips,

"I love you too."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone! So this is a really exciting milestone for me. i was recently recognized on Dramione Team's twitter for Dramione Fanfiction of the day! It's really exciting! If you have twitter and would like to follow me, you can find me at CatchMyEye16. Anyways, here's chapter 17 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair, enjoy!**

Chapter 17: It's A Secret

August had arrived and it was getting closer to the day the five friends would be leaving for Canada. Ron had finally after two weeks of arguing and apologies, agreed to go with Noah and the others.

Hermione and Draco had settled into married life, which turned out to not be much different from the way things had been before. They did seem a lot happier since the wedding to everyone immediately close to them.

On the day they were set to travel, everyone would be meeting at the Burrow. They'd decided to travel using the Floo network instead of disapperating because they had their luggage to carry with them and it would've been a hassle.

Instead of the normal wake-up call Draco gave her, Hermione was woken up by the sudden urge to vomit. She launched herself out of bed and ran for the bathroom, just barely making it there in time to bring up most of the previous night's dinner. Five minutes of on and of vomiting and three times brushing her teeth later, Hermione walked back into the bedroom and gently settled herself down beside Draco, who had woken up just a moment before she'd returned. The worried look on his face told her he wanted an explanation, but she really didn't have one for him.

"I don't think we should go on the trip Hermione. I mean, what if you're really ill and travelling only makes it worse? You've been complaining about your stomach bothering you for the past couple days and now you're waking up sick. I'm really starting to get concerned here," he told her, sitting up carefully so as not to jostle her too much. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly through her nose for a moment before answering.

"Draco we can't cancel now. We're leaving today, remember? I've been looking forward to this trip for weeks. I'll just take something for my stomach before we leave so that I won't feel so sick while we travel, and if it gets worse, we'll come home."

He eyed her uncertainly, but knew she was right and got up. If there was one thing he'd learned over the last four years, it was that Hermione was usually right and he would be foolish to question her. He wondered secretly if there was something going on with her that he didn't know about. Something that she had to keep from him, even though they'd both promised each other there would be no secrets.

He watched her carefully for the rest of the morning, recalling certain things he'd remembered from the past two and a half months since the wedding. Although it wasn't really noticeable to anyone else, she seemed to have gained a bit of weight, but she had been eating a lot lately due to stress from work. She was always tired, which he also attributed to her excessive stressing about work. Her mood would fluctuate drastically, going from one extreme to the next.

Everything could be attributed to stress, which made sense because Hermione was a workaholic. For a twenty two year old, she'd gotten herself far. Two promotions already and she was one away from becoming the new junior head of her department. He couldn't deny that he was extremely proud of her for it, but he was starting to think that the work was going to get the best of her.

To his amazement, Hermione was completely fine by the time they were ready to leave. They disapperated to the Burrow feeling prepared for their trip. Ron had just left to pick up Noah when they arrived, so they were instead greeted by Harry.

"Morning Harry," Hermione greeted, setting her luggage down by the door and walking in to meet Harry's hug.

"Morning Hermione, Draco. Are you ready for this?" he asked, sitting down on the couch. Hermione nodded and took hold of Draco's hand. Draco looked indecisive about the idea of leaving, but nodded in agreement.

There was a loud crack and the sound of laughter filled the air as Ron and Noah walked into the living room.

"Morning everyone!" Noah greeted happily, her hand still glued to Ron's. The others in the room wondered whether they were back together or not, seeing as none of them had been informed any different. Ginny walked into the living room silently, saw that Ron and Noah were holding hands and promptly informed them all that breakfast was ready before trudging out of the room.

"Wonderful, I'm starved," Hermione exclaimed, standing up and pulling Draco with her toward the kitchen.

After breakfast, everyone got their things together and stood in front of the large fireplace.

"Ok, so we're going to number twelve twenty eight Deerhurst Meadows. My parents already know we're coming so they'll be waiting for us when we get there," Noah explained, grabbing a handful of Floo powder. Everyone followed suit and soon enough, they were all standing in the fireplace. Ron counted to three and said the address; everyone throwing their powder down in unison before erupting in a large burst of green flames.

They toppled out of the fireplace and fell onto the floor, Ron nearly crashing into one of three men that was standing adjacent to them. Draco caught Hermione, who landed on top of him with a thud. Noah's feet were in Harry's face and Ron was kicking Harry in the side as he struggled to get up, only to trip over all their luggage, which had piled itself neatly on the floor.

"Mom! Dad!" Noah shouted happily, jumping up from the tangled mess of people and launching herself into her parent's arms. The two men standing beside them reminded Ron of Fred and George, only shorter and much less mischievous. Everyone eventually stood up and brushed themselves off, trying to make themselves as presentable as possible. Noah turned to face them and said,

"Everyone, this is Ron, Harry, Hermione and Draco. Guys, these are my parents Everett and Alisha and my brothers Mateus and Dylan." Everyone exchanged hellos and Dylan said,

"So you were telling the truth when you said you knew the Golden Trio. Way to be kid." Noah rolled her eyes and punched his arm, grabbing her bags and walking into the house. The other did the same, following her past the four people they'd just met into the house.

It was much bigger than the Burrow, but it had the same cozy feel to it. As they walked, Noah explained the sleeping arrangements.

"So Hermione and Draco get the guest room, I'm sleeping in my room, and you and Harry are sharing Dylan's room. Dylan's going to stay in Mat's room for the time we're here. My room is upstairs and so is the guest room. My brother's rooms are in the basement. Everyone got it?" she asked, stopping at the divided staircase.

"None of the houses I've been to in London have basements. This is really weird," Ron told Harry as they walked into the basement. There were two doors across from each other, and a third door on the opposite end of the basement which they guessed to be the bathroom. Harry walked into the room with the open door and set his things down on one of two small beds. He guessed that one of Noah's brothers had configured it so that they would be sleeping on the floor in turns.

Meanwhile upstairs, Noah had just finished showing Draco and Hermione their room before skipping off toward her own. Hermione set her bag down and sat on the bed, lying back and breathing a sigh of relief. Draco sat beside her and brushed a curl from her face while saying,

"Are you tired already? We've only been up for half the day." She took his hand and smiled up at him, knowing he was worried about her.

"Draco I'm fine, you don't need to worry about it so much. It was an early morning and I haven't been feeling well lately so I'm a little tired, but that's all. Ok?"

"Fine, but you should tell me if you don't feel well. I don't want you getting so sick I have to take you to St. Mungos," he warned, tracing her cheek with his thumb. She took his hand and squeezed it tightly, sitting up and kissing him.

"Hey guys just so you know, Mat is training to be a healer. So if he asks you any weird questions or watches you funny, he's just being a weird super nerd and trying to get practice. Just so you don't get freaked out by him or anything," Noah told them. They both jumped at her suddenly being in their doorway, but got up and joined hands as they followed her down to the main floor.

Harry and Ron were standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for them when they came down. Noah grabbed Ron by the hand and towed him behind her as they walked toward the living room. The rest of her family had all taken a seat and were chatting quietly when they entered the room.

"I still can't believe you're friends with them. We've wanted to meet you guys since we were in what? Like fourth or fifth year wasn't it? You guys were our idols," Dylan explained. Noah, who had taken a spot of the floor leaning against Ron's legs, interjected and said,

"You're such a liar! They practically worshiped you guys! I'm serious, they had the Daily Prophet mailed to them once a month just to see what was happening with Voldemort and all you guys over at Hogwarts. They wanted to go to Hogwarts instead of Spellmaster."

"I'd never heard of Spellmaster Academy before until Noah told us about it. From the sounds of it, it's pretty similar to Hogwarts," Harry added.

"Some of the stuff that happened at Hogwarts was insane too! Like when Umbridge was headmaster there for a while, we were so freaked out. She seems like a scary woman just from what they described of her," Mat continued.

Hermione had noticed that Mat had been watching her for a majority of the conversation and remembered what Noah had told them earlier.

_Maybe he can see that I'm sick or something. I mean, what else could it be? I'm perfectly fine otherwise._

. . . .

Over the next couple of days, everyone settled in and began enjoying themselves a bit more. Harry, Ron, Draco and Dylan played more two on two matches of Quidditch than they could count, while Hermione spent a lot of her time relaxing and talking with Mat. She'd come to find out that he was a very gifted healer after she'd had another sick spell one morning and he'd used his magic to cure it.

He spent most of the time they were around each other finding out as much as he could about St. Mungos and also about Hermione. She couldn't figure out why, but he'd taken a particular interest in getting to know her. She just figured he was practicing his healing and never asked any questions of him.

One afternoon on about their sixth day there, Hermione sat reading a book in the mid afternoon sun while Harry, Ron, Draco and Dylan were playing Quidditch. Noah was too interested in the game to pay attention to Hermione, which worked out in her favour because she really didn't want to talk with Noah about anything in particular.

Mateus came out with a tray of lemonade and set it on the table, pulling up a chair next to Hermione and taking a drink from his glass.

"Would you like to take a walk with me? I was hoping to talk to you about something," Hermione asked him, setting down her book and picking up one of the glasses. Mat nodded and stood up, pushing in his chair and waiting for Hermione to begin walking before following. Once they were a reasonable distance away from everyone else, she asked,

"So I was just wondering, but why have you taken such an interest in finding out so much about me?" He raised an eyebrow at her and took a sip of lemonade before replying.

"You're an interesting case. I figured you knew that you were already almost two months along."

Hermione nearly spilled her lemonade when she stopped abruptly. Mat's cheeks were red and he gawked at Hermione while saying,

"Oh my gosh you had no idea? Well this is quite the surprise..."

"I need to sit down," Hermione told him, dropping down gently to the ground and setting her drink beside her. How could she be two months pregnant and not even have known? The two and a half months since the wedding flew through her head and everything fell into place. The food cravings, the tiredness, the constant mood swings. It all made sense.

"I know this must be a lot to take in right now, but you should really drink something. You look a bit pale," Mat told her, handing her the glass of lemonade from beside her. She took a few large gulps and tried to calm her thoughts before managing to say,

"How did you know? I mean, what gave it away?"

"You have classic morning sickness, you're tired a lot, the heat bothers you, and I must say for someone your size, you have quite the appetite. I've been observing your behaviour over the past couple of days and your aura has been changing slightly every day," he explained. Hermione stared at him in shock, not knowing what to do with herself.

"Would you mind?" he asked, holding out his hand toward her stomach. She shook her head and watched as he set his hand on her stomach and muttered an incantation. His hand and most of her torso glowed a soft yellow for a moment before he smiled an opened his eyes.

"That's quite a healthy baby you've got there. It's growing nicely and by the looks of it, you're about two days away from being exactly two months along. I'd say you'll be due around March or so if my counting is correct," he told her. Although she was in shock, Hermione couldn't help the smile that crept its way across her face. That smile, however, vanished when she thought of Draco.

"Can you promise me you won't tell anyone about this? I want to wait until we get home before I tell Draco or anyone else for that matter," she asked worriedly.

"Not to worry Hermione, your secret's safe with me," he replied, patting her hand.

"So how much longer are you going to be in school?" Hermione asked as she watched Draco fly around happily. Mat leaned back on his hands and said,

"I've already finished actually. I graduated from Spellmaster University with a degree in magical healing and a minor in potions. I sent in my application to St. Mungos back in January, so hopefully they'll accept me. Who knows, maybe I'll be one of your healers when you have your baby." They both laughed and Hermione sighed, deep in thought about what Draco's opinion on the baby would be.

"Just out of curiosity, how far along do I have to be to find out the sex of the baby?" Hermione asked. Mat laughed and racked his brain for a moment before saying,

"Uhm, I think you have to be around five or six months. It's different from what they do in the Muggle world. In a Muggle hospital, they use all those machines and things to monitor your baby. In our world, we use magic. It's a lot more thorough and a lot less intrusive, plus the gel they use in ultrasounds is cold and quite disgusting if you ask me. Plus, the potions they give you that substitute those prenatal vitamins Muggles use taste way better and they work better too. They help develop your baby's magical abilities while keeping them healthy at the same time. I've always loved babies for some reason."

"I think you'll be an excellent healer Mat. You really know your stuff," Hermione told him. Coming from the brightest witch of her age, that was huge. Mat sincerely hoped he would get accepted into St. Mungos so that he could help Hermione with her pregnancy.

"I can see it now. You're baby is going to be a cute one. Draco's hair with your eyes is like, super cute in my opinion but only for a girl. If it's a boy then it should have brown hair with whatever his eyes are. They're blue, aren't they?" he asked.

"They're grey. It's a really unique colour; kind of like a shiny steel colour in the sunlight," she corrected, picturing her baby in her mind. The image of a little girl with platinum blonde curls and big brown eyes filled her mind and she smiled.

From high up in the air, Draco stopped for a moment to hover and waved down at Hermione. She smiled and waved back, her face glowing.

"You're slacking off on me bro! Come on, we've got a match to win!" Dylan shouted, snapping Draco out of his thoughts. Draco was glad that Hermione had someone to talk to while they were there since he spent most of his time playing Quidditch with the other guys.

. . . .

It was after dinner later that night and Hermione was talking to Mat about St. Mungos when they heard it. It was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard in her life and it was coming from across the house. They walked over and saw that Draco was sitting at the piano playing the song they'd heard. They waited until the song came to a close before Hermione said,

"Draco, I didn't know you could play the piano." He jumped and turned around to face them, a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

"Well it's been a while and I'm a bit rusty. That last song wasn't the best I've ever done," he admitted, trying to avoid questioning. They both gawked at him in disbelief, completely boggled by the statement.

"You're kidding, right? That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard, how could it have not been that good?" she asked. Draco shrugged and turned back to the piano, running his fingers across the keys before beginning to play again. Hermione and Mat sat down on the chairs behind them and listened to the music in awe.

(A/N: Listen to this song while reading the next part. It's wonderful. .com/user/roytoddmusic#p/u/31/thmcWbOisxc )

As Draco played, his body moved with the music. Never would anyone have suspected something so happy and beautiful to come from someone with such a dark past.

The emotion flowed through the room with the sound, filling the space. His feelings toward Hermione and their life together were shown through this melody, displaying things he'd never revealed to anyone before.

Thoughts of their wedding night drifted through both their minds. The dancing, the laughter, and the kiss after saying 'I do'. Every touch felt like a first, every look like their last. Life seemed absolutely perfect in those few stolen moments when nothing else in the world mattered but each other.

The longing for her acceptance of him in his attempts to become good filled his heart. He craved to be the better man he should have been long ago. His father's tight grip on what he believed to be right slipped away; everything he grew up knowing changed in the blink of an eye.

The flash of green crossed his mind; filling him with remorse and anger at what his father had done to the girl he loved so dearly without even giving it a second thought. His mother standing by helplessly as she watched her husband torture her only son's love while she lay in his arms.

The regret for all the mistakes he'd made; all the mistakes he would make in the future. Never knowing when he would snap next or if he would become the thing he feared the most; his father. Wanting to be different from the man that had raised him when he had children of his own. Teaching himself that the world isn't always good, but being good came at a price. Valuing every moment he could spend with the love of his life, knowing how precious that time was after the mistakes he'd made that nearly cost him that relationship.

The music drifted to a close and they were frozen in the silence. Mat sat completely still and watched the auras in the room shift between their various colours as the moods changed. Hermione stood up and walked slowly over to where Draco sat, sliding her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. There was so much she needed to tell him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey everyone, here's chapter 18! now you can have two chapters in one day. I've been trying to upload the last two chapters for three days but the site was having some problems. Sorry for the delay! Anywho, enjoy chapter 18 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair.**

Chapter 18: Revelations

"Draco we really have to talk about something," Hermione told him from the living room. She heard the impatient clang of dishes and footsteps as Draco stalked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

It had been nearly two weeks since they'd returned from Noah's parent's house and Draco had been extremely grouchy on this particular day. Hermione had been trying to talk to him for a week, but he'd been too stressed or busy with something else to listen.

"What is it Hermione, I was just about to make lunch," he snapped, making her even less willing to talk to him but she was determined. She took his hands and looked into his stormy grey eyes, his eyebrows furrowed impatiently.

"Listen, I need you to be as calm as possible when I tell you what I'm about to tell you, ok? So just take a deep breath and relax a bit. I've been trying to tell you this all week but you wouldn't stop and listen to me for five minutes," she explained, but he got impatient and stood up, stomping back into the kitchen in silence without so much as letting her finish.

"Draco don't you walk away from me when I'm trying to tell you something important!" she yelled, following him into the kitchen. He continued to ignore her, focusing harder on the food than on his own wife. Hermione walked right in front of him and forced him to meet her eyes while she said,

"Will you just listen to me for two seconds?"

"No I will not listen to you for two seconds Hermione! All you want to do is sit down and talk to me when there are other important things we could be doing! Like making lunch for example!" he shouted back, dodging her and going back to the food. She huffed impatiently, stomping away but stopping at the entry to the kitchen and saying,

"I'm pregnant and you're the father! That's what I've been trying to tell you for the past week but apparently making your damn lunch is more important than this!"

He froze where he stood and watched Hermione walk angrily away. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? He replayed the scene in his head, recalling her every word, and felt his knees begin to give out. He grabbed the counter for support and shook his head, unable to think straight.

The sound of a door slamming brought him out of his daze and back to reality. He'd just been told by his wife that he was going to be a father and that she'd been trying to tell him all week but he hadn't given it the time of day. The guilt slammed on him like a tonne of bricks. He mentally kicked himself in the arse as he slowly made his way out of the kitchen and up the stairs toward their bedroom. Hermione's crying was as easily recognizable as his own voice and he could hear her from all the way down the hall. Once again, he mentally kicked himself before knocking on the door and shakily saying,

"Hermione, can I come in?"

"No! I don't ever want to talk to you again you stupid ferret faced prat!" she shouted, her voice cracking on some words.

_Ouch. Damn it, I deserved that. God, why am I such an insensitive arse all the time? _

"Come on Hermione, please let me in so I can at least try and apologize to you. I know you probably won't listen, but it's always worth a try," he pleaded, his hand resting on the door handle. After a moment of silence he walked in fearing he'd be hexed but instead found Hermione curled up on her side facing away from him. She clearly wasn't going to budge from that position, so Draco went and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hermione I'm so sorry for not listening to you sooner. That's wonderful news, and I honestly don't deserve to be trying to apologize right now so I'll make this short. If you don't want to forgive me, that's fine. I can accept that. But just please know that I care about you enough to know that I made a mistake by not listening to you. I guess I'll just leave you alone to your thoughts for a while," he told her, touching her arm once before getting up and walking back out of the room.

He finished making lunch in silence, too consumed in his thoughts to try and distract himself. Before he ate, he took a plate up and left it on the desk in their room for Hermione, who had disappeared into the bathroom for the time being.

Draco ate in silence and listened for any sign of Hermione, but heard nothing. He resorted to going for a walk, seeing as Hermione wasn't going to let up any time soon. He walked to the nearby park and sat on a bench, watching the Muggle families walk by or parents playing with their children.

He wondered what it was like to be that parent and imagined himself playing with his child. Piling up the leaves and watching them jump in, their laughter filling the air like an intoxicating song. A little blonde haired boy and girl with big brown eyes like their mother's running and laughing. Their mother chasing after them playfully, smiles on all of their faces. Everything he never got to do as a child.

. . . .

Hermione sat on the chair in front of her pensieve and watched the silver memory swirl around in the glassy water. It had been three days since she last spoke to Draco, and she hadn't really talked to him, more rather screamed at him and called him a ferret faced prat. After breathing out a sigh, she submersed her face and watched the memory come to life.

Hermione was standing beside two empty seats in the front row and watched herself walk down the aisle on her father's arm.

_Alan handed Hermione's hand to Draco and gave a sincere nod before turning and sitting next to his wife. _

She sat down in the empty chair next to her father and watched the ceremony.

_The Minister went through with the ceremony and by the time it was nearing the 'I do's', most of the front row was crying. He turned to Draco and said,_

_"Do you Draco; take Hermione, to be your wife?" Draco looked into Hermione's eyes and sweetly said,_

_"I do, and always will."_

_"And do you Hermione; take Draco, to be your husband," he asked. Hermione blushed and squeezed Draco's hands lightly while saying,_

_"I do." _

_"Then by the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic, you are now eternally bonded. You may kiss your bride," the minister said proudly, starting a round of applause. _

_Draco took Hermione's face in his hands, gently caressing her cheek before pulling her close and kissing her. It was a simple kiss, but it was filled with passion and joy. They broke apart a moment later, their foreheads resting against each other as they stared into each other's eyes. _

_They walked down the aisle and were bombarded by their parents. Hermione's parents both hugged her tightly and congratulated them while Draco's mother hugged him warmly and whispered something to him. _

Hermione followed them down the aisle and listened in on what Draco's mother had whispered to him.

_"You make sure she feels like the only person in the world, and you never stop loving her. She's what you need to become a better man than your father was Draco," she whispered quickly into his ear. He nodded and kissed her cheek before turning and shaking Alan's hand. _

The scene dissolved and Hermione was back in her bedroom. She jumped when she heard something tap on the window and found a small brown bird sitting on the window sill with a letter attached to its leg. She opened the window and the little owl flitted in, holding out its leg and sitting patiently on the desk while she read.

_"Dear Hermione,_

_It's Mateus. I was just writing to see how you were doing and to let you know that I got accepted into St. Mungos! I'll be moving within the next couple weeks and staying with Noah for a while until I get my stuff over here and into my place. I'm so excited to finally see Britain. I can't wait to hear from you! Write back and let me know how things with the pregnancy are going and if you have any questions. Talk to you soon,_

_Mat." _

Hermione smiled at the letter and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill, pausing to think of what to write before beginning.

_"Dear Mat,_

_That wonderful! I'm so happy for you and I can't wait to see you when you come over here. Things are going ok here. I finally told Draco about the baby and things didn't go as well as I thought. He ignored me when I tried to tell him the first time, so I screamed it at him and stormed off and haven't talked to him since. He didn't seem angry about it, which is good. I'm planning on telling everyone else this coming weekend when I go for dinner at the Burrow with Harry and Ron. I think Noah's coming with us too. Everything with the pregnancy is going great. The healer I've been going to says the baby is doing excellent, which is reassuring. Anyways, I can't wait to see you and congratulations again on getting into St. Mungos. Write back as soon as you can._

_Hermione." _

She strapped the letter to the little owls' leg and sent it back on its way, watching it fly for a while until she heard the front door shut. She rolled her eyes and groaned, deciding it was time to talk to Draco and sort everything out.

Draco went about doing what he normally did after his walk, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Hermione come into the kitchen. They stared at each other awkwardly before Hermione finally broke the silence and said,

"Draco, I'm sorry for acting the way I have the last couple of days. I was upset and I didn't know what to do. I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did." Draco walked over slowly and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and saying,

"It's ok love, you had a reason to be mad. I was kind of an arse to you. Forgiven?" Hermione nodded and leaned in, kissing him once and hugging him tightly.

"So, a baby hey? That exciting," he said happily as they walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Hermione tucked her feet beneath her and settled against Draco's arm while saying,

"Yeah it is. I'm about two and a half months along already and the healer I've gone to say's the baby is doing excellent."

"That's good. How long have you known about it?" he asked, tracing circles on her arm with his fingertips.

"A few days after we got to Noah's parents house Mat and I went for a walk and he asked me if I knew. It was a shock to me, that's for sure," she replied, remembering that afternoon. Draco chuckled and said,

"So Noah was right, Mat was watching you." Hermione rolled her eyes and said,

"Yeah, he was watching me alright. He actually helped me with some of my morning sickness too, which I could never thank him enough for. He's going to be a really great healer when he gets to St. Mungos."

"So if you're two and a half months already, that means the baby will be due in March, right?" Draco asked, intrigued. Hermione nodded and said,

"That's right. We're going to have a spring baby. Gosh, that sounds so weird to say. I think about it all the time but I never really say that we're having a baby."

"It's strange to think that our baby is in you right now, growing and turning into one of the smartest, most sarcastic witches or wizards in the city. I wonder who it will look like..." Draco asked, thinking out loud.

"Mat told me once that he thinks if it's a girl that it should have your hair and my eyes and if it's a boy it should have my hair and your eyes. I think that would be adorable," Hermione told him, answering his question.

"I'm kind of hoping we have a girl..." Draco admitted quietly. Hermione looked up at him, slightly shocked, and said,

"Really? I thought you would be the one wanting to have a boy first to carry on the Malfoy name." He shook his head and replied,

"I've always wanted a sister, and now that I'm older and married, I want a daughter. A sweet little girl who's just like her mum; brave, smart, beautiful, loving." Hermione blushed and kissed Draco's cheek then said,

"You are adorable. What do you think your mum is going to say to all of this?"

"Oh yeah... I have no idea what she's going to say. Maybe I should write her tonight," he said quickly.

"Why don't you just invite her over to dinner on the weekend when we go to the Burrow and we can tell everyone then, and we can have dinner with my parents this week and tell them," Hermione suggested.

"That's an excellent idea. Plus Remus and Tonks are going to be there with little Teddy, so we can tell them too. Mrs. Weasley is going to go into crazy mother mode when she finds out," Draco laughed. Hermione joined in and said,

"Yeah, we'll all be doomed then!" Their laughter died down a bit and Draco asked,

"How do you think Ron's going to take it? After what happened at the wedding, my hopes aren't too high that it will go well." Hermione sighed. She'd forgotten about Ron for a moment. She was genuinely worried about his reaction, knowing that he could barely tolerate them being married let alone having a child together.

"I can see that you're worried about it, but you shouldn't be. If he doesn't like it, then he can just not say anything about it. Trust me Hermione; he's not going to say much of anything. Noah almost knocked his head off at the wedding and now their back together again. If he does anything, she'll probably actually knock his head off," Draco reassured her, all the while trying not to laugh at the thought of Noah slapping Ron again. Hermione giggled and said,

"You're right; I have nothing to worry about. I just don't want things to get out of hand because stress isn't good for the baby. That might be hard to do though." Draco gave her a quizzical look and she answered his question.

"I'm this close to getting that promotion to junior head of my department, but it's causing me a ton of stress because I have to work twice as hard on everything. I really want the promotion, but at the same time I want our baby to stay safe and healthy." Draco kissed the top of her head and said,

"You'll get the promotion no matter what because you really want it and you work your heart out every day just to get one step closer to getting it. And even after that you still have plenty of heart left over for me and now our baby too, which by my standards is an amazing feat all by itself."

"You're too wonderful for your own good Draco, I'm serious. I don't know what I'd do without you," Hermione told him, kissing him again. He smirked and said,

"If you didn't have me you'd have to find someone else who's as good as me, which I'd say would be pretty hard to do. I'm really one of a kind." Hermione rolled her eyes and smirked back at him while saying,

"Oh yeah, one of a kind all right."

. . . .

"We're so glad you came over sweetie, it's been a long time since we last saw you two," Melissa told Hermione while they ate.

"I know mum, we've been really busy at work lately. Draco and I actually have some good news to tell you guys. Do you want to or should I?" Hermione asked Draco. He shrugged and shook his head, telling her to tell them.

"Ok, I'll tell them. Mum, dad; Draco and I... Well, we're having a baby!"

Happy cheers erupted around the table as Alan clapped Draco on the shoulder and Melissa hugged Hermione tightly, congratulating them both.

"When did you find out?" Melissa asked excitedly.

"Just a few weeks ago while we were on our trip to Canada. It turns out Noah's brother is a healer and he told me. I'm two and a half months already and the baby's due in March," Hermione explained.

"Oh that's wonderful sweetheart! Can you believe it Alan, our first grandchild! Oh, this is so exciting. Wait until your grandparents hear, they'll be so excited!" Melissa chattered ecstatically.

"So does anyone else know about this yet?" Alan asked, still a little excited from the initial shock. Hermione shook her head and said,

"No, not yet. We're going to have dinner with Ron's family and a few friends and we're going to tell them then."

"Well that should be a fun night. What do you think Draco? You've been awfully quiet tonight," Alan asked him, nudging his shoulder.

"I'm just as excited as Hermione is. It's a lot to take in," he replied. Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey there everyone, sorry its been such a long time. I was sick for a while and had really bad writers block, but i got through it and now for Chapter 19 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair. Enjoy and review if you liked it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP. **

Chapter 19: Doubts and Disappearances

"Ready to go, love?" Draco asked from the front door. Hermione came down the stairs and pulled on her coat while saying,

"Yeah, let's get going. Wouldn't want to be late." She took his hand and he turned, disapperating toward the Burrow.

"Ugh, it gets more and more uncomfortable every time now that I'm pregnant," Hermione complained once their feet touched the ground in the backyard of the Burrow. The lights were on and they could hear people talking and laughing from inside as they made their way up.

"You know I read that after about five months you're supposed to stop using apperation. Even the Floo network is hazardous," Draco added nervously. Hermione kissed his cheek and said,

"We've still got time, we can figure something out. Now remember, it's still a secret for now so you can't say anything." He nodded and opened the door for Hermione, walking in after her and slipping off his coat.

"Molly, they're here!" Tonks' voice floated in from the kitchen. They walked in and were met by a massive crowd of people, most of them Weasley's. Teddy and Victoire ran past them and Teddy shouted,

"Yay Hermione's here! Hi Hermione, hi Draco!"

"Hey there Teddy!" Draco replied, laughing as the two ran away into the living room. Mrs. Weasley hugged them both and said,

"We're so glad you guys could make it. We were just about to start dinner when you got here." They followed her in and stood next to Harry and Ginny.

"Alright everyone, dinner's ready!" she shouted. Everyone slowly filed toward the table to fill up their plates, all the while multiple conversations ensued.

"Molly, do you think once everyone's seated outside that Draco and I could make an announcement? If it's not too much of a hassle that is," Hermione asked as she passed Molly on the opposite side of the table. She smiled and waved her hand submissively while saying,

"Of course you can dear, go right ahead." Hermione smiled and thanked her before she disappeared into the crowd of people.

Once everyone had taken their seat at the long rectangular table that had been set up out in the yard, Hermione stood up and said,

"Hey everyone, Draco and I have an announcement to make. We've just recently found out that we're... well, we're having a baby!" The whole table erupted into cheers and clapping as Hermione turned crimson red and sat back down. Mr. Weasley raised his glass and said,

"To a wonderful evening with friends and family! Congratulations Hermione and Draco!" Everyone raised their glass and clinked them together, casual conversation resuming after they all started eating.

Hermione talked with Tonks for most of dinner, which proved to be interesting. She was telling her stories from when Draco was a little kid that would make even Draco blush slightly when he heard them being told.

More than once, Draco and Hermione both spotted Ron sending them looks from down the table before Noah could catch him and smack his arm. Hermione kept constantly reminding herself in the back of her mind that he wasn't going to do anything, but she was still worried and it showed.

Just before dessert, Hermione went back into the house for a moment and was unknowingly followed by Ron who had snuck off when no one was paying attention. Ron cleared his throat, causing Hermione to jump and dropped the glass she'd been holding. It to smashed to pieces on the floor and she clumsily pulled out her wand and said _reparo, _cleaning up the smashed glass and returning it to its unbroken state.

"Sorry about that Hermione, didn't mean to scare you," Ron told her sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and set the glass down on the counter while saying,

"What do you want Ron?" Her tone was annoyed and venomous, making it obvious that she didn't want to be screwed around with tonight, but Ron was out to piss her off.

"Oh nothing, I just came to personally congratulate you. You're bringing another little Death Eater into the world. It won't be long now and you'll be dealing with something just as arrogant, self-centered, greedy, and untrustworthy as its low life father, maybe even worse, who knows," he answered sarcastically once again, still determined to piss her off beyond repair.

"How could you say those things? You're insulting an innocent child! You are a monster Ronald Weasley! You really don't have a heart if you can go around and insult an unborn child just because you don't like the father and not feel any regrets about doing it!" Hermione argued, completely outraged and insulted.

"I said everything I said because every word of it is true and you know it Hermione! I'm not the monster here, he is! Bringing a child into this world with the same bloodline as his! Setting his kid up for failure even before its born!" he retaliated.

"What happened to you Ron? You used to be my best friend and now you're turning into this monster that I don't even recognize anymore!" Hermione told him coldly. He rolled his eyes and walked past her, stopping only momentarily at the door before leaving and saying,

"Well then I guess my plan is working, now isn't it? Have a good life Hermione; I hope you're happy living with a murderous Death Eater and his spawn."

With that, he was gone. Hermione watched him walk back out into the yard casually, like nothing had ever happened. Her chest felt heavy with the imminent threat of tears that were accumulating in her eyes. A happy night, ruined completely because of Ron's ignorance and insensitivity.

Without a second glance back out into the yard, Hermione stood up and disapperated. Sure Draco would be furious about it because the last time she disappeared she was almost killed, but she didn't care. She would do whatever it took to get as far away from Ron as possible.

The fire was dying down when she landed in the living room. After a second or two, Hermione stormed across the room and down the hallway, walking into the study and plopping herself down on the chair. On the desk in front of her sat the pensieve Harry had given her as a wedding gift, and a silver memory floated along the surface of the glassy water.

Hermione couldn't recall leaving a memory in it last time she used it, so she guessed it must've been one of Draco's. Curiosity consumed her as she thought about which memory it might be. Probably something recent, knowing him. He didn't often like to rewatch his past, for obvious reasons. Hoping he wouldn't come home any time soon, Hermione lowered her face down into the memory and watched a familiar scene unfolding.

It was their third year at Hogwarts, right before Buckbeak was supposed to have been killed. Draco stood peering around the large stones next to Crabbe and Goyle.

_"How much you wanna bet the head's gonna roll away from the rest of the body?" Crabbe asked the other two, sounding excited. Goyle laughed and Draco smirked, looking highly unamused. _

From behind them, the younger Harry, Ron and Hermione came out from the bridge.

_"...Believe they're actually going through with- Oh joy, Malfoy and his followers are here," Harry grumbled. The three Slytherins turned and Draco shouted,_

_"Oi look who it is! Come to see the show?" Hermione whipped out her wand, aiming it at Draco's throat and saying,_

_"You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" The tip of her wand was only inches away from his nose and he was quivering with what appeared to be fear of being hexed. _

_"Hermione no! He's not worth it!" Ron called to her, stopping a few feet behind with Harry at his side. She lowered her wand and began to turn away; Draco smirked at her accusingly, taunting her that she wasn't strong enough to actually do anything. Hermione whirled around and punched Draco in the face, sending him stumbling backward into his friends who were too stunned to do anything. _

_Draco pushed his way past his friends and ran up the hill toward the bridge, Crabbe and Goyle struggling to keep up. _

Hermione chuckled, remembering how odd it felt to punch Draco even though she should have been happy about it. She followed the three young Slytherins up the hill and through the bridge, all the while smirking at Draco's muttering about getting back at her someday.

The three boys parted ways, Draco heading for the bathrooms while his friends went back down to their common room. He walked into the third floor bathrooms, home to Moaning Myrtle, and sat down against the wall facing the sinks.

_"Stupid Granger! Thinks she can just punch me and get away with it. If only I didn't like her so bloody much, that punch wouldn't have phased me. Stupid Granger!" he grumbled, pushing his hair up out of his face. _

Hermione forced the memory to an end, returning to the study and sitting back in the chair. Draco was such a hopeless case when it came to romance back in school.

The front door slammed shut, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts too suddenly. Draco's voice floated in and she listened to him.

_He must've gone for a walk before he got home. He wouldn't have come in the front door otherwise..._

"How could she just up and leave like that? I actually thought she disappeared again! For all I know, she could be getting tortured or be dead and I wouldn't even know because she didn't bother to come tell me she was leaving! Stupid Granger!" he growled, making his way to the kitchen.

Hermione rolled her eyes and thought,

_He's still the same as he was in third year. Figures. Here we go..._

Silently, Hermione made her way down the hall toward the kitchen, stopping in the doorway when she got there and leaning against the doorframe.

"I'm fine Draco; and you know, you shouldn't worry so much," she told him, announcing her presence. He turned and ran over to her, pulling her into a tight embrace while frantically saying,

"Hermione thank god you're ok! You have no idea how worried I was about you! Why didn't you tell me? One minute you're sitting next to me and the next thing I know you're gone and no one can find you!"

She took his face in her hands and held him still, kissing him before quietly saying,

"I'm ok Draco, stop worrying. I'm sorry I left without telling you, but I had to leave. I couldn't be there any longer..." He gave her a puzzled look and she continued to explain.

"While I was in the kitchen, Ron came and... talked to me..." Alarm and fury filled Draco's eyes and he asked,

"What did he say to you?" Hermione's arms slid from his face to wrap around her torso as she sadly told him.

"He said that the baby was the biggest mistake I could make and that I was setting it up for failure before it was born because you're the father. He thinks it's going to turn out to be arrogant and selfish and just like you and that all I'm doing is bringing another Death Eater into the world." Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she stood in silence, waiting for Draco's reaction.

"Listen, whatever he says to you is a lie. He's just jealous he can't have what we have and is willing to do anything to torment you because of it. I don't want you being worried or stressed about anything; this baby is the most important thing right now and I'll do anything I can to make sure it stays that way."

Hermione leaned into his chest and he held her tightly.

"What if this baby isn't such a good thing? What if we're not ready and we're the worst parents ever? I mean, neither of us have had siblings and I'm too controlling and-"

"Hey stop that. Why are you thinking like this all of a sudden? This baby is anything but a mistake or a bad idea. This is _our _baby, Hermione; it's got the brightest witch of her age for a mother for crying out loud. I don't honestly think there's anything we can't do," he said, interrupting her nervous rant.

"You're too nice Draco... Always trying to fix things and make me happy," she whispered. Draco leaned down and kissed the top of her head, pausing to say,

"It's part of my job as your husband. You deserve it."

He kissed her once more before taking her hands, leading her toward the living room and sitting down on the couch. Hermione rested her head on Draco's shoulder and snuggled into him, getting completely comfortable before asking,

"So, how was the rest of the party? I feel bad that I never got to say goodbye to everyone."

Draco shrugged and watched the fire as he spoke.

"You didn't miss much. When I left, Teddy was all upset because Tonks wouldn't let him stay with Harry. He is a pretty cute kid. I think it's the hair, personally. Other than that and Noah practically going into a full on rage on Ron, you didn't miss much." Hermione smirked at the thought and stared into the fire, her eyes drooping with sleep.

"We should get some sleep, you seem exhausted," he whispered into her ear. They both stood up and Draco carried Hermione up the stairs; it was getting harder to do because she was getting heavier with her pregnancy weight gain.

Once they were both changed, Draco flicked off the lights and crawled into bed next to Hermione, drifting off to sleep within minutes.

. . . .

"Trick or treat!"

Draco groaned at the sound of the young voices that were standing outside their door. It was Halloween night and while Hermione was having a short nap, it was Draco's job to cover the door for the trick or treaters.

He stood up and made his way to the door, hoping that it was young children because he could tolerate them. The older children just bothered him in general. To his luck, it was three small children and a parent standing behind them as they waited.

"Here you go guys, have a fun night!" he told them after handing them their candy. They walked away and Draco couldn't help but smile at the little girl with curly blonde hair as she bounced off in her witch costume. Almost all of the children who came by were Muggles, and the ones who weren't acted just the same.

He'd been counting and those were the seventy fourth, fifth and sixth kids to come past their house in the past two hours. It was only quarter after six when a blue ball of light came in through the living room window and formed a silver stag. Harry's voice emanated from the form and said,

"We're having a Halloween party at the Burrow if you would like to join us. It starts at six thirty. Hope we see you there!" The silver stag vanished and Draco jumped when Hermione walked into the room.

"Hey, how was your nap?" he asked as she sat down next to him.

"Not long enough. It didn't feel like I slept hardly at all," Hermione replied, yawning and resting a hand on her stomach. Draco kissed her cheek and asked,

"Would you be up for the party tonight? I know you and Ron still aren't on speaking terms, but it would be nice if you would come. Everyone's missed you since the last time you came with me."

"I don't know Draco. I still don't think it's a good idea if Ron's going to be there. As much as I miss everyone, I don't want to risk him going off on me again," Hermione replied nervously.

"I still think you should come. This is one of your last chances to use apperation anyways, so you might as well make the best of it. After that we're going to have to start driving everywhere and we won't be able to visit everyone at the Burrow unless they come here," Draco explained in an attempt to convince her. She contemplated her options for a few moments before finally agreeing to go.

"You'll be fine Hermione, don't worry. If you don't feel safe, just tell me and we can come home," Draco reassured her before they left. Hermione nodded and braced herself for the suctioning force that they would endure in just seconds as they disapperated for the Burrow.

The ground reappeared hard beneath their feet as they landed in the yard of the Burrow causing Hermione to stumble. Draco rushed to help her, but she landed with a soft thud on the grass and laughed.

"It's been a while," she laughed as Draco helped her up off the ground and led her toward the house. The jack o' lanterns were carved and glowing on the steps as they made their way into the house and took off their coats.

"Hello everyone!" Draco called out as they walked into the kitchen, which was surprisingly empty. They heard a giggle come from the living room and Draco dramatically said,

"Where ever could they be? I hope no one tries to jump out and scare us." Teddy jumped out from behind the wall and shouted,

"Rawr! Haha Uncle Draco I scared you! Auntie Hermione!" Teddy and Victoire both ran out and hugged Hermione's legs tightly, laughing and talking so fast no one could understand them. Hermione knelt down and hugged them both while saying,

"Hey you guys; you're getting so big! I love your costumes too, very cute."

Teddy was dressed as a space ranger, his blue hair sticking up wildly in every direction with the tips glowing bright orange while Victoire was dressed as a princess with a little silver tiara perched on her head. Teddy put his hands on his hips and said,

"I'm a starship ranger! I gotta protect the space princess from alien monsters!"

"We tried to get them to coordinate, but Teddy insisted on being a space ranger," Tonks added.

"I'm a _starship _ranger mum, not a space ranger! Come on Victoire, let's go play upstairs!" Teddy shouted, running from the kitchen with Victoire hot on his trail. Everyone was suddenly in the living room when Hermione stood back up.

"You look wonderful Hermione!" Tonks told her. Hermione smiled and replied,

"Thanks Tonks. I look better than I feel, that's for sure. I've been tired for the last couple weeks and it's taking its toll on me."

"Hey Hermione," Harry said, walking up with Ginny. Hermione smiled when she saw them holding hands, feeling glad they were still together. A familiar sensation in her torso made Hermione laugh a little, setting her hands on her stomach.

"Hi Harry, hey Ginny. How are you guys? It's been a while," she asked. Harry shrugged and Ginny replied,

"We've been good. The Auror Office has been pretty busy lately, so Harry's been working more than usual. How about you? You look wonderful by the way."

"Thanks Gin, and I've been good. Busy with work and keeping up with everything," Hermione told her. Harry seemed distracted and it took Ginny elbowing him in the side to get his attention. He rubbed his side gingerly with his free hand while saying,

"What was that for?" Ginny gave him a look and replied,

"I've been trying to get your attention but you wouldn't budge, so I used brute force. What's up with you?"

"Sorry, it's just Ron's not here yet and he's supposed to be coming straight from the office. I already picked up Noah and he knows I did, so I'm just wondering what's taking him so long," Harry replied nervously, eyeing the window facing the yard.

"Harry I'm sure he's fine. You know him, he's probably lost track of the time like he usually does," Ginny reassured him, but it did nothing to ease his mind.

As the hours passed, everyone grew anxious as to Ron's whereabouts; especially Noah. Hermione and Ginny sat with Noah while Draco and Harry were in the kitchen thinking of possible places he could be. A small white owl flew in through the open window and landed on the table, dropping the letter in its beak and flying back out the window.

"It's about Ron," Harry stated hurriedly, tearing open the letter and reading it quietly out loud.

_"Mr. Ronald Weasley has been taken into the custody of St. Mungos healer Hippocrates Smethwyck for injuries sustained by a Cerberus earlier this night at the Ministry of Magic. He is in critical condition due to the following injuries: large gashes to the abdomen and arms, a crushed left femur and right tibia, internal bleeding and crush syndrome. We urge close relatives, parents and/ or spouses in particular, to come to St. Mungos immediately." _

"I'll get Molly and Arthur; you go tell Noah and the others. Try not to make them panic too much," Harry instructed Draco before running off toward the yard.

"What happened? Did you find him? What's going on Draco?" Noah asked frantically from the couch as Draco walked in and sat before the three girls.

"We found him, but it's not good. He's at St. Mungos in critical condition. They found him at the Ministry and he was almost killed by a Cerberus. He's in really bad shape and they don't know how long he'll hang on for but they're doing everything they can," he explained, his voice shaky.

"What's a Cerberus?" Noah asked worriedly, not showing any sign of crying. Draco and Ginny both shrugged and Hermione sighed and said,

"It's a giant three-headed dog. They're extremely dangerous." The other three's eyes were wide with shock and fear for Ron's life and they heard a crack come from the backyard. Harry came back into the room and sat in the chair beside Draco's.

"They've just left for St. Mungos. They're going to owl us when they find out more," Harry told the others.


	20. Chapter 20

**Here you go everyone, Chapter 20 finally. Sorry it took so long, I've been busy with school and work**. **Anyways, i hope you like it. Review and let me know!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP. **

Chapter 20: The Mid Winter Shower

"Are you hot? I'm dying over here," Hermione complained to Draco. After seven months of being pregnant, she was practically counting down the days until she could have the baby. They'd decided not to find out the sex, even though they both really wanted to know. Draco thought it would be a nice surprise, but it was all Hermione thought about. They'd redone the guest room into the nursery just the week prior and the baby shower was scheduled for three weeks from now.

"Hermione you're always hot. You're just having another hot flash, as usual," Draco told her while reading his book. She huffed in frustration and got up off the couch, going to the kitchen to get a glass of water. The sharp aching in her abdomen that had been paining her for the past couple of weeks returned for a brief moment, pulsating with her heartbeat. She sucked in a few relaxing breaths, pausing against the counter with the glass in her hand until the pain subsided.

The little winter wonderland that had formed in their back yard silently mocked Hermione as she gazed out the window casually. She was always asking Draco to go on walks with her but he made the excuse 'It's too cold to go walking', which was most times a lie. It had been a beautiful winter and Hermione longed to go for a nice walk in the cool winter air. The phone rang from across the kitchen, snapping Hermione out of her thoughts as she shouted,

"I've got it!" She heard Draco mutter something about Muggle contraptions before answering the phone.

"Hello?... Oh hey Noah... I'm doing fine, yourself?... That's good... No, I'm not doing anything actually, Draco and I were just reading... I would love to, that would be great... Ok, I'll see you then... Bye."

Excitement filled Hermione as she set the phone down and walked back into the living room.

"What did Noah want?" Draco asked over his shoulder as Hermione made her way in.

"She invited me to go for a walk. Oh don't give me that look Draco, it's perfectly nice out today," she replied, smirking at Draco's disapproving look. She walked around to the front of the couch and kissed him once before walking toward the door.

"I won't be long. Love you!" Hermione told him as she left. She heard him shout a farewell after her and smiled. He'd learned not to cross a pregnant woman when she wanted to do something the hard way about a month prior and it hadn't been pretty.

The cool winter air felt wonderful as she walked down the sidewalk toward Noah's house. She spotted Noah sitting on the porch waiting for her and waved. Noah jumped up and joined her just as she passed the house.

"You made it out alive I see," Noah laughed as they walked. Hermione laughed with her and replied,

"I did. He knows not to stop me when I want to do something now. I'm surprised you got out alive. Isn't Ron over today?" Noah rolled her eyes and said,

"He is, but he was tired so I told him I was going for a walk while he slept so I didn't disturb him. He's been extremely grouchy and irritable lately and quite frankly it's depressing. I just wish he'd be happy for once. He's always complaining about everything, but lately he's moved onto the topic of you and the baby. I just want to smack him sometimes." Hermione shook her head and said,

"I'm guessing he told you about the night I left dinner early then?" Noah nodded silently, feeling slightly guilty about Ron's actions that night.

"Don't worry about it Noah, he just can't move on with anything anymore. It's gotten progressively worse since the war ended. I think the baby sent him over the edge, but I'm hoping he'll come around after the baby is born," Hermione reassured her.

"I hope so too because I don't know how much longer I can take his crap," Noah agreed sadly. Hermione watched her for a bit before saying,

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do but I don't think I can be with someone like that. He's a great guy when he wants to be, but he's not the same as when I met him," Noah admitted. They walked up and brushed some snow off a bench, sitting down and taking in the fresh air.

"Did he ever tell you about how we became friends?" Hermione asked, rubbing her swollen stomach. Noah shook her head and Hermione recalled the day like it was yesterday.

"It was first year on Halloween day and we all had charms together. Professor Flitwick had just taught us the spell for levitation and we were to practice on feathers. Ron was next to me and he wasn't doing it right so I corrected him and did it properly, basically making him look like an idiot. Later that day while he was walking with Harry and the others, he was making fun of me for being a know it all. I spent the rest of that day in the bathroom crying and by dinner I was tired and hungry so I was about to go to the Great Hall when a mountain troll stumbled in and started to demolish the bathroom. Harry and Ron saved my life and from that point on we've been friends. It was really just a coincidence that Harry thought of me and brought Ron with him to save me. Harry was always the smarter of the two, even when he was being thick."

"That's funny because Ron's never been the courageous type. He's more the type to defend himself whenever someone tries to judge him," Noah told Hermione. Hermione chuckled in agreement and laughed even more when she felt the baby kick beneath her hand.

"Ooh, is the baby kicking? Can I feel?" Noah asked excitedly. Hermione showed her where to put her hand and Noah's face lit up when she felt the tiny kick against the palm of her hand.

"You know sometimes I hate being on maternity leave but it gives me lots of time to think of names and sort out all of the baby clothes and gifts we got for Christmas. I'm really excited for the baby shower too," Hermione admitted happily.

It was true that she was excited for it, but there was something going on with Draco that she couldn't figure out. He didn't seem as happy as he used to. As far as she knew, things at work were getting busy and he was going out a lot more. Being an Auror was a scary job sometimes and she worried about him constantly whenever he was out on a mission.

"I should probably be getting back home. I'm getting hungry and when I'm hungry I get cranky. This baby makes me hungry all the time and even though I'm not full term yet, I feel huge," Hermione joked. Noah stood up and helped pull Hermione up off the bench.

"So when are you due? Do you know an exact date or is it just an approximation?" Noah asked as they walked.

"I'm supposed to be due on the eleventh but we don't know for sure whether that's when the baby will come. I just want this baby to get here already. I'm getting sick of being pregnant," Hermione told her. They both laughed and continued to walk down the sidewalk. Once they reached Noah's, Hermione attempted to hug her while saying,

"Thanks for inviting me out, I had a good time. We should go on walks more often."

"I agree. It's nice to get out of the house once in a while when I'm not working or with Ron. I'll see you later then?" Noah asked. Hermione nodded and waved as she walked away, watching Noah disappear into her house.

. . . .

"You guys are crazy, you do know that right?" Hermione asked. Ginny and Noah were walking around frantically getting things ready for the shower while Hermione walked slowly from room to room to survey the damage. They'd invited Tonks, Fleur, Hermione and Draco's mothers as well as Mrs. Weasley and some of Hermione's friends from work. Hermione had called her cousin Ellie the previous week and invited her to come, hoping she could make it seeing as she was the only cousin Hermione actually liked. Andromeda was coming in with Tonks and Fleur and they were supposed to be bringing Teddy and Victoire as well.

"We know, but this is going to be great so just sit back, relax and let us do all the work," Ginny reassured her, towing her toward the couch and sitting her down. The day had only just begun and already Hermione wanted nothing more than to go and have a nice long nap with the new body pillow Draco had bought her as a gift for Valentine's Day.

Hermione surveyed the stack of gifts that had already formed in front of the fireplace and frowned slightly. People were spoiling this baby so much already and it wasn't even born yet. Draco's mother had gone out of her way to spoil her only grandchild already; she'd bought the entire bedroom set for the nursery. Although it was quite beautiful, Hermione still felt awkward when people gave her gifts for the baby.

The doorbell rang and Hermione heaved herself off the couch to get the door. Teddy and Victoire rushed in and hugged Hermione's legs while Fleur, Tonks and Andromeda all made their way in, hugging Hermione and awkwardly positioning the gifts beside them before taking their coats off.

As more and more people arrived, the pile of gifts got higher and high while Hermione's tolerance for the noise and close proximity to other people grew smaller. By the time the shower ended, Hermione was ready to locker herself in her bedroom and sleep for a week without any distractions.

The Braxton Hicks contractions hit her half way through the gift opening and they were worse than any of the previous ones. Her back and legs aching didn't help any either and she was so worn down by the end of the shower that she couldn't even get off the couch long enough to say goodbye to anyone.

After Ginny and Noah finally left, Hermione used her wand to bring all the gifts up to the nursery and began to put them away, wondering when Draco would be home as she did so. After putting everything away and reorganizing the dresser and closet full of clothes, she decided to take a nap.

The last thing that crossed her mind before she fell asleep was the feel of her baby kicking beneath her hands.

. . . .

No matter how much you prepare yourself for it, having a baby isn't all it's cracked up to be. All the books you read and the classes you take to learn more about it and how to prepare yourself do nothing when you're suddenly on your knees in pain with contractions that are the real thing, not just the fake ones you've been having for the past two months. Whether you're premature or overdue, it all feels the same.

Now, it's not all bad. Those brief periods between contractions that sometimes last minutes or sometimes hours allow you to think about the baby that will be in your arms any time now. After feeling them grow inside you for nine months, you crave to hold them in your arms and feel their tiny hearts beat, knowing they're ok. Looking down into those big, glossy eyes and seeing the little life you created staring back up at you makes you feel like your life cannot be any more complete than in that moment.

For Hermione, this experience was going to be completely different from what she'd hoped for. Not only was her mother not allowed to be there, neither was Draco. It was just going to be her and her books until it came time to actually have the baby. She'd also decided that she didn't want any potions to ease the pain, which turned out to be a bad idea.

Waves of crippling pain washed over her and she could literally compare them to the _cruciatus _curse as she clung to the edge of her bed. She wished with all her heart that Draco could be here with her but St. Mungos had a strict no men in the delivery room policy. All she could do now was wait until she could get this whole ordeal over with and have her baby. A healer floated in every hour or so to check on her progress, which proved to be moving very slowly.

. . . .

Three Hours in. Four centimetres dilated and counting.

The pains began to become tolerable when Hermione finally remembered something she'd read about in one of her books. It said to just relax and let your body do what it will and that should ease the pain, but so far it had only made I minor dent in the pain.

She tried to push through the pain and focus on her reading, but it wasn't working so well. Every second page the pain would creep back up, making it nearly impossible to read. After staring out the window for a while, one of the healers came in and said,

"You have a guest Hermione." She rolled over slowly to avoid disrupting her calm, painless state and nearly burst into tears when she saw Draco in the doorway. He walked over and hugged her tightly.

"Draco what are you doing here? I thought men weren't allowed in the rooms," Hermione asked him. He kissed her and replied,

"I'm not allowed in when the baby is being born, but I can be here before then. I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner but I had a meeting with my department head on a case and I tried to get out as soon as I could."

"You don't have to apologize Draco. You're here and that's all that matters to me," Hermione told him. Their heartfelt meeting was interrupted by another wave of contractions that made Hermione cringe into the bed. Draco's chest went tight when he saw this because it reminded him of the night his father tortured Hermione in his arms and he shuddered.

. . . .

Six and a half hours in. Nine centimetres dilated and counting.

"I've decided that I officially hate you right now," Hermione growled at Draco through clenched teeth as she endured another contraction. He smirked and replied,

"You only hate me right now. In about half an hour you'll love me again, trust me." She glared at him for a while before giving up and trying to relax into the cushiony pillows beneath her with very little success. Hermione knew he was right, but at the moment the pain was taking over her mind and she hated him for doing this to her.

Twenty five minutes later, healers flooded the room and Draco was completely forgotten as Hermione spent the last futile seconds holding off for the pain of the next contraction. The head healer stood at the end of the bed and instructed Hermione.

"Ok Hermione, whenever you feel ready you start pushing. Let's get this baby out," she told her. Hermione nodded calmly and waited to feel the tightening sting of the contraction, which came within seconds and felt ten times worse than any of the others. As she pushed, her ears rang and she could only faintly hear someone counting and encouraging her.

"...Six, seven, eight, nine, and ten." Hermione's breath escaped her, returning in rapid, shallow huffs as she gathered her concentration and focused again.

Just as fast as it came, the pressure relaxed but only slightly. After three more rounds of contractions, Hermione was ready to give up.

"This is it, one more push and you'll have your baby," the healer told her. Hermione stole a glance over at Draco, who'd sat in his chair silently then whole time and hadn't said a word. He smiled at her and mouthed,

"I love you." A flash of pressure plagued her and she used every ounce of strength she had left to give the final push. The pressure dissipated and there was a moment of dead silence before an infant's cry broke through the air. Hermione collapsed back onto the bed and watched the healers whisk her baby to the other side of the room.

Draco could see a blue glow coming from where the baby was and wondered briefly what they were doing before his attention was brought back to Hermione. He got up and walked over to her, taking her hand and kissing her on the forehead.

"You did wonderfully Hermione. I'm so proud of you," he whispered into her ear. A younger healer dressed lime green robes walked over carrying a little white bundle. Draco's heart lifted when he saw the small pink hat poking out of the top of the bundle. The healer handed the baby to Hermione and quietly asked,

"She's a beautiful baby. Do you have a name for her yet?" He waved his wand and two wristbands formed in the air in front of him as he awaited their answer.

"Her name is Kenley Rose Malfoy," Draco answered quietly, his voice buzzing with excitement. Hermione nodded in agreement, her eyes glued to the baby girl in her arms. The names appeared on the wristbands and he wrapped them around both Hermione's and Kenley's wrists before leaving the room with the other healers.

It was nearly five minutes before either of them said anything.

"She's so beautiful..." Hermione whispered, careful not to wake Kenley who appeared to be sleeping.

"That's because she's your daughter," Draco whispered back sweetly. Hermione's already flushed cheeks became slightly darker. He held out his hands toward Kenley and carefully took her from Hermione's arms. Kenley's eyelids fluttered open and revealed the large, silky brown eyes that were an exact copy of Hermione's. Her eyes searched Draco's face, taking it in and becoming more familiar to it.

Being a newborn, her eyesight was blurry and it was more difficult to make things out. The fuzzy outline of her father became slowly familiar, but there was a different face she longed for. One she'd only briefly glimpsed at before being taken away to be examined by the people in green. She didn't like the people in green much; they poked and talked at her loudly and she didn't like the feeling of that strange blue light they made on her tummy.

Draco handed Kenley back to Hermione and sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Kenley stare up at her mother. It was like he was looking at a carbon copy of Hermione. He was slightly disappointed that she didn't resemble him very much, but he loved her eyes because they were Hermione's eyes. He could see the little brown curls sticking out from beneath the hat and smiled.

. . . .

"I want Noah to be her godmother. We've already been through this," Hermione told Draco as they drove home from the hospital.

"Well if you're picking her godmother then I want to pick her godfather. I think Harry should be her godfather," Draco argued. He'd already talked to Harry about it and although he was already Teddy's godfather, he was more than willing to be Kenley's godfather as well.

"I don't know Draco, I mean he's already got Teddy as his godson, don't you think it would be too much?" Hermione asked sceptically.

"I already talked to him and he said he would be glad to if that's what we chose to do. So it's settled then, Noah and Harry as Kenley's godparents it is," Draco replied cheerfully.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey again everyone, long time no see. so, i finally got off my lazy butt and wrote this chapter again for all you excellent readers to read! so, here's chapter 21 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.  
**

Chapter 21: Awkward

"Ron don't be such a grouch. Just because they didn't choose you to be Kenley's godfather doesn't mean you need to sulk about it. Now come on, we're supposed to be at their house in five minutes and you're not even ready to go yet," Noah pestered as she got on her coat. Ron kissed her cheek and went quickly up the stairs to get on the outfit she'd laid out for him. He enjoyed wearing Muggle clothing, but only the casual things. He hated dressing up.

As he pulled on the blue dress shirt she left for him, he wondered whether the prophecy would come true. Sure, it had been close to four months since he`d last heard the prophecy but he was still worried about it. As far as he knew, prophecies could only be heard by the people they're made about. That fact only solidified his worry because he could hear what it said and he had a rough guess as to who it was about.

The walk back down the stairs seemed longer when Ron noticed Noah standing impatiently at the door waiting for him.

"If we're late, I'm blaming you," Noah told him as they walked out the door. He smirked and took her hand then said,

"Noah we've been together for almost two years and you still threaten to blame things on me? We both know it's going to happen regardless of who's actually to blame." She smirked triumphantly and replied,

"I know, it's just fun to say it. You're face turns the same shade as your hair when you get nervous and I think it's hilarious." Ron rolled his eyes and opened the short gate that sat in front of them, blocking their entrance into Draco and Hermione's front yard.

From outside the gate, it looked to be the same size house as every other house on the street. From inside however, it was bigger with a large yard and a flower garden that lined the front of the house and the perimeter of the yard, following along the fence line. Most of the flowers were just beginning to grow and there were still large clumps of snow all over the yard, but it still looked wonderful.

Noah straightened Ron's collar while he knocked on the door, hearing what sounded like laughter coming from inside the house. To both their surprise, Hermione was the one who answered the door, a large smile on her face when she recognized her friends.

"You guys are late! Almost everyone's already here!" Hermione joked as they walked in. Noah hugged her and kissed Ron's cheek before walking excitedly toward the living room where she'd seen Draco showing off Kenley to the rest of their family and friends.

Hermione and Ron stood awkwardly at the door until Ron finally broke the silence by saying,

"You're looking wonderful Hermione, really. I'm sure she's a beautiful baby, just like her mum." Hermione blushed slightly and took his coat, flicking her wand and sending it toward the study with the rest of the coats.

"Thank you Ron, that's a sweet thing to say. It was nice of you to come, I haven't seen you since before the accident," she told him. He looked down at the floor and quietly said,

"I'm glad I came. It's nice to see everyone again." Hermione enveloped him in a sudden hug, which surprised him but he hugged her back, grateful that he hadn't completely lost her friendship. She led him into the living room and he was greeted by everyone in the room. Molly stalked over to him and pulled her youngest son into a hug, scolding him for not visiting his own mother more often but quickly laughed about it and pulled him in closer to everyone.

Many of the people who weren't immediately surrounding the baby were chatting casually about work or family life. Bill and Fleur were talking with Remus while Tonks was sitting on the couch with Teddy perched on her lap waiting their turn to hold Kenley, who was currently in Hermione's father's arms. Molly was standing next to Draco, who had Victoire on his hip as he watched his daughter be passed around and admired.

"Hello Ron, good of you to come," Draco greeted him, holding out a hand. Ron shook it and replied,

"I'm glad I came."

"So what are you up to lately? It's been weeks since I last saw you in the office," Draco asked, attempting to strike a civil conversation. Ron slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and said,

"The accident messed up my back, so I moved departments. I'm in the Department of Magical Games and Sports now. It's not as much fun as the Auror office, but it'll suffice. Speaking of, how are things in the Auror office lately?" Draco shrugged, letting down a squirming Victoire before answering.

"Things have been slow. A couple dark wizard spottings in Knockturn Alley here and there, but nothing too big. That's too bad about your back. Can you still apperate?" Ron nodded and replied,

"I can apperate, but it still hurts to fly. The Muggle physiotherapy Noah's been making me go to has helped a lot. Magic couldn't do much for my back."

"Draco, could you come over here for a minute?" Hermione called from across the room. Draco excused himself from Ron, who was dragged into a conversation with Molly, and made his way across the room to where his wife stood patiently.

"What did you need, love?" he asked, following her into the kitchen.

"I was just wondering how you were holding up with Ron over there. I know you two aren't on the best terms and I don't want a fight breaking out in the middle of the living room when we have guests," she explained, checking the oven carefully and turning back to face him.

"Everything was fine, no need to worry. It turns out he's moved departments because of a back injury from the attack, but he seems to be doing fine. Not as grouchy as I remember him being around me, which I don't mind in the least. I think Noah's good for him," he responded casually, glancing back to see Tonks showing Teddy and Victoire the baby. As much as he trusted all of the people in the room beside him, he couldn't help but feel extremely nervous when he saw other people holding Kenley.

Hermione saw him tense up and touched his arm gently.

"She's fine Draco, stop worrying so much. I swear, you're more overprotective than I am, and I gave birth to her," she told him, laughing a bit at the face he made.

"I'm sorry; I just have some issues with trusting people. You and Kenley are my world, so I want nothing to harm either of you. Plus, she's only two days old," he explained, trying to get her to see things from his perspective. She shook her head and kissed him before joining the rest of the guests in the living room.

"Hermione, you and Draco make adorable babies! I love her hair! The little ringlets are the cutest things I've ever seen in my entire life!" Noah told Hermione, her voice buzzing with excitement as she held her god daughter. Ron walked up behind her and carefully looked over her shoulder at the infant in her arms. She looked so much like Hermione, yet at the same time she had Draco's face.

Draco watched as Noah turned to Ron and asked,

"There you are. Oh, did you want to hold her?" Ron looked up and found Hermione and Draco's eyes, as if he were asking for approval. Draco was passive, not wanting him to hold her but at the same time not disagreeing to it, and Hermione gave a soft nod. Noah carefully passed off the newborn to Ron, who made an awkward cradle with his arms and held Kenley like she were a breakable glass ornament. Hermione couldn't help but laugh quietly at Ron as he attempted to look natural, with little success.

"You'd think he would be used to holding a baby. He is Victoire's uncle after all, he surely had to have held her a few times," Draco said to Hermione in a hushed voice, not wanting to embarrass Ron or himself for that matter.

"Victoire hasn't been a baby for a long time. Her sixth birthday is coming up this summer. I don't think Ron ever held her that much even when she was a baby. He's never been good with babies, but he can handle kids Teddy and Victoire's age," Hermione informed him.

Hermione gave a confused look when the doorbell rang suddenly. She wasn't expecting anyone else as far as she knew and was thoroughly surprised to see who stood at their doorstep.

"Mat! Oh, I forgot you were coming! Gosh, how silly of me, come on in out of the cold."

"Sorry about being so late Hermione, I would've been here sooner but there was an accident and they needed as many hands as they could. How are you? I was sad to hear that I wasn't on your case when you came in to have your baby," he told her, taking off his coat and giving it to Hermione who sent it off with the rest.

"Not to worry, everyone's only just finished showing up so you're not terribly late. I'm wonderful, and so is Kenley. Come, I'll get her from Ron so you can meet her," Hermione told him, walking toward the living room and spotting Ron. He'd finally found a comfortable position to hold Kenley in when he saw Hermione and Mat come into the room.

"Did you need her back?" Ron asked as Hermione walked up to him. She smiled and nodded, carefully lifting the wide awake infant from his arms.

"She's beautiful Hermione, really," Ron told her quietly before she turned away.

"Thanks Ron." With a sincere smile, she turned at walked over to Mat.

"Oh, she's precious. I could just steal her she's so adorable!" Draco had joined Hermione and became suddenly tense at the statement. Hermione gave Kenley to Mat and turned to Draco, settling a hand on his pale cheek and looking him in the eyes. Draco's eyes were trained on his daughter, who was lying contently in Mat's arms and staring up at him.

"Sweetie calm down, he was joking. Draco, look at me," Hermione whispered to him, her voice pleading slightly. He grudgingly turned his eyes toward her and relaxed only slightly, still wary of his only daughter's safety.

"Hey, she's fine. Stop worrying so much."

"I'll be right back," Draco told her frustratedly, kissing her cheek before quickly exiting the room. Mat looked to Hermione apologetically and said,

"Oh, I'm sorry. I know he must be having a hard time and that was a totally horrible thing to say. Should I go talk to him?" Hermione smiled and shook her head, smoothing out a bit of Kenley's curly hair while saying,

"Don't worry; he'll be fine in a minute. He's got trust issues is all and he worries about the two of us too much. He'll come around." Mat nodded hopefully, glancing back over his shoulder to see if Draco had come back but he was nowhere in sight.

After ten minutes however, Hermione started to get worried.

"Do you mind watching her for a minute Mat? I'm going to go look for Draco," Hermione asked him. He nodded, took the now sleeping newborn from her arms and watched Hermione disappear into the other room.

Hermione was a few feet away from the door to the study when he heard two voices arguing quietly and stopped to listen.

"You don't understand! I can't lose them. If I lose them, I'll lose myself. I can't live without them and you know that just as well as anyone," one voice whispered harshly. Hermione recognized it as Draco and was now listening for the other voice. To her surprise, it was his mother who spoke next.

"Draco stop this foolishness. You need to realize that everyone in that room wants nothing more than to keep her safe. To think otherwise is absurd! I know how much they mean to you; I know how much Kenley means to you. I am your mother and all I have ever wanted in this world is to keep you safe, but you need to stop worrying so much and relax for a moment."

There was a silent pause during which Hermione slowly made her way around the corner and entered the room.

"You should listen to your mother, she's a very smart woman," Hermione said quietly, making her way over to where Draco stood and wrapping her arms around his torso. He hesitated for a second before pulling her closer to him and holding her.

"Nothing is going to happen to us Draco, I promise," she whispered into his chest. His arms squeezed tighter around her. From the living room they all heard a cry and Draco went rigid, aching to get out there and see what was happening. There were a few adults in the room that were hushing the cry and soon enough it turned into full out screaming that seemed to have no avail. Draco was practically shaking by the time Hermione let go of him, but he couldn't go far without dragging her with him for she had clasped his hand with no intention of letting go as they began to exit the room.

A very disgruntled mat stood by the fireplace holding a screaming Kenley and looking like most parents would if their child was crying; slightly annoyed yet it had a side of sadness to it. He handed Kenley back to Hermione, Draco hovering over her shoulder watching as she began to sooth her upset newborn, and sat down on the couch next to Noah.

With little success after close to five minutes, Draco finally said,

"Let me see her for a minute." Hermione carefully gave her to him and watched as he became an entirely different person. His toughness disappeared and in its place was the sensitive person Hermione had fallen in love with. The way Kenley's tiny form fit perfectly in the crook of his arm and how he rocked her side to side, rubbing her stomach gently in unison with the movement; it all seemed so natural on him. There was a small part of Hermione that felt extremely jealous of how easily he seemed to become a parent while she struggled to no ends to keep up with the demands of a newborn. Yet she felt extremely relieved that he wasn't completely inept at being a father. Within minutes Kenley was fast asleep and Draco had taken her up to the nursery for a quiet nap.

. . . .

"That was the longest day of my life," Hermione sighed as she waved away the last of the dishes from the sink. Draco leaned against the counter and nodded in agreement, running a hand through his hair and breathing deeply.

"I think I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?" he asked, pulling the kettle from the cupboard.

"That would be wonderful. You wouldn't believe how many people commented on your parenting. They were all amazed at how easily you seemed to take to it," she told him, playing with the ring on her finger. Draco set the kettle on the stove and turned on the burner while saying,

"It was no big deal; I just don't like hearing my little girl cry. I actually shocked myself a little to be honest. I didn't think she would calm down that fast, let alone fall asleep."

"I'm glad it's easy for you. I was hoping you wouldn't be an awkward parent and not know what to do with yourself. I can't imagine how Ron is going to be if he ever has kids. He was a bit nervous just holding Kenley today," Hermione replied. Draco rolled his eyes and quickly removed the kettle from the stove as it began to whistle, dropping the teabag in and setting it aside to steep.

"Your father seemed to be enjoying his time with Kenley," Draco said quietly as he poured the tea into two mugs. Hermione took hers and sipped it, enjoying the feel of the hot tea warming her. Draco sat down next to her and sipped his tea, waiting patiently for a response.

"I noticed. Both of our mothers enjoyed it too... do you miss him?" she asked nervously. Draco gave her a puzzled look momentarily but clued in and sighed. It had been nearly four years since the incident and at times he felt guilty for what he'd done.

"If I said I did, I would be lying to you. He never treated me like his child; I was always just the heir to the family name and nothing more. I never wanted to be like him when I grew up, and now that I'm a father, I only want the best for my daughter," he admitted. She took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I love you," she whispered. He gave a small smile and leaned into her while whispering,

"I love you too."

The couple finished their tea and made their way slowly up the stairs toward their bedroom. A soft glow emanated from the nursery and they both smiled softly, thinking of their sleeping newborn. Hermione changed into her favorite pair of pyjamas while Draco slipped on his silk pyjama bottoms and went shirtless, as usual, disappearing into the bathroom momentarily. When he returned, Hermione was gone. He ventured out and saw the nursery's door was open.

"You disappeared on me," he whispered from behind Hermione, who was standing at the edge of the crib watching Kenley sleep.

"I couldn't help myself; I had to come watch her sleep. She's just so adorable," she whispered back. He rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek, wrapping his arms around her waist and watching his daughter sleep. He realized just how oddly fulfilling it was to watch her sleep, knowing he helped create her and that she was a part of him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hermione broke the silence.

"Noah was right, we do make adorable babies." Draco rolled his eyes and said,

"You realize she said babies not baby, right? She's implying that we should have more adorable babies." Hermione blushed slightly and replied,

"I caught on, yes. It's a little soon though, don't you think? We've only just had Kenley for two days now."

"You never know..." Draco whispered against her neck. She rolled her eyes and smacked him, turning to face him and glaring at him. He smiled sheepishly and said,

"Sorry, I was kidding. Come on, let's get some sleep. I'm exhausted and I can bet you are too." Hermione smacked his shoulder one more time for good measure then kissed him and walked back to their bedroom.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey everyone, Steph here with chapter 22 of A Perfectly Imperfect Pair. I hope you enjoy it! review and all that good stuff!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.  
**

Chapter 22: Babysitting

"Who's my big girl? You are! You're my big girl!" Draco cooed. Kenley's face lit up and she giggled happily, clapping her hands in front of her. Hermione smirked and looked up from her book to see how Draco was embarrassing himself this time and had to laugh along with Kenley. Draco sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Kenley with his hands at the sides of his face, his wand in his right hand shooting an assortment of rainbow coloured sparks out of the tip that were currently landing on his head and turning his hair colours.

Kenley caught a few sparks in her hand and squealed when they turned her palm different colours. The colours faded after a few seconds, but it was nonetheless a thrilling experience to a five month old baby.

"Sweetie you know your hair looks like someone rubbed it with a rainbow," Hermione laughed, pointing to Draco's now fully coloured hair. Draco looked at his reflection in the window and his face flushed at the sight. He set his wand down on the couch and shook his hair out with his hands, causing the coloured sparkles in it to fall around Kenley like snowflakes. Hermione laughed harder at the sight and Draco whipped around, brushing some of the colours onto her. She swatted them away and couldn't help but ruffle his hair herself.

"Oh the things we do to entertain our children," Draco said dramatically, brushing the last of the sparks out of his hair. Hermione nodded and smiled as Draco's blonde hair returned to its normal self.

"You seem to be the one doing all the crazy things to entertain our daughter. This doesn't beat the time you transfigured yourself into a puppy though; that was the best one so far. I was actually hoping you would transfigure yourself into a ferret just like Moody did in fourth year."

Draco scowled and leaned in menacingly, leaving barely an inch between their faces and said,

"Take it back." She smirked and shook her head.

"Well then you leave me no choice." In a movement almost too fast to see, Draco grabbed Hermione's sides and squeezed them. She let out an exasperated scream and laughed harder as he continued to tickle her. In the midst of all the screams and laughter, Kenley let out a scream of her own, after which she proceeded to cry.

Draco jumped off the couch and scooped her up in his arms, soothing her. She was content almost instantly and Draco rolled his eyes.

"You were just jealous weren't you? Jealous that I was giving momma attention and not you," he told her in an accusing yet playful parent voice.

"She's just like her father," Hermione added, returning to her book. Draco stuck out his tongue at her then looked at Kenley and said,

"Yes she is, and she's perfect! Isn't that right my baby girl?" Draco kissed Hermione then returned to sitting on the floor with Kenley and playing.

. . . .

"I'm serious Hermione; I can look after her for the evening. You and Draco need to have a night to yourselves." Hermione gave Noah a sceptical look and adjusted Kenley on her lap.

It was true; she and Draco hadn't had a quiet night to themselves since Kenley was born. Unless she was sleeping and they were sharing a cup of tea before bed or talking in the living room, they really had no down time just the two of them.

"It's really not a problem 'Mione, we can take her for a few hours tonight and you and Draco can go out to dinner or something," Ron reassured her.

"I don't know you guys. I mean, it sounds wonderful and all but I've never been away from her for more than an hour or two. Plus, if you think I'm going to be bad just imagine how Draco is going to be. He's more protective of her than I am," she told them. Noah's face fell slightly but Ron still looked confident.

"Four hours Hermione, that's how long it would be. An hour before to get ready and an hour afterward to have some quality alone time. That leaves two hours for dinner and whatnot. You know you want to." Hermione thought hard for a moment but finally caved and agreed to it.

"We'll take good care of her Hermione; you don't have to worry about a thing! Come see aunty and we'll go pack your bag!" Noah said excitedly, grabbing Kenley from Hermione and making her way upstairs.

"So, how are things with Noah? From what I can see it's going well," Hermione asked Ron, who was playing with his wand nervously on the table.

"Things are good. We've been a lot closer since the accident and she always worries about me. Says I'm not as social as I used to be, but I've never really been that social to begin with."

"Well I can agree with both of you on that. You were never all that social, but when I first saw you back at the welcome home party for Kenley you did seem sort of shy and timid. It has gotten better, but not much; you're still shy." Ron looked up at her then, his eyes flitting from hers to random points on the wall behind her.

"I'm just glad you have Noah to keep you happy. I told you that you would find someone one day, remember?" she reminded him. He nodded in agreement, distinctly remembering that entire night. She had helped him realize that he would find someone eventually; Noah coming along when she did was just luck he supposed.

Their conversation was interrupted by Noah and Kenley returning to the room, Kenley's diaper bag strung over Noah's shoulder. Hermione stood up and went to the kitchen, motioning for Noah to follow her.

"Here, you can go see Uncle Ron for a minute," Noah said as she handed Kenley to Ron and walked after Hermione. Ron sat Kenley on the edge of the table in front of him and smiled as she played with her small stuffed otter. Her big brown eyes stared at the toy with fascination as she flipped it around in her hands.

"She gets one of these half an hour before bed and we usually put her down around eight thirty or so. I'm warning you now, she gets grumpy when she's tired and she might not go down right away because Draco and I aren't there. If she gives you any trouble just get Ron to activate this with a message on it and I'll answer back as soon as I get it," Hermione explained, handing Noah what looked like an ordinary coin but Ron recognized it. It was similar to the DA coins they used, only this time it wasn't engraved with the groups symbol.

Ron stood up and walked with the two women to the front door. He gave Kenley back to Hermione for her to say goodbye while he slipped his shoes on. Hermione hugged her daughter tight for a few seconds then kissed her forehead and said,

"You be a good girl for aunty and uncle, ok? Mommy loves you very much." She finally handed Kenley to Noah and suppressed the tears she felt coming on as they left.

"Bye bye sweetie! I'll see you guys later. Draco and I will probably just come to your place and pick her up when we're done," she called after them. Noah and Ron both waved and nodded as they walked down the sidewalk.

The house seemed eerily quiet as Hermione began to get ready. She spent most of her time just cleaning and putting away all of Kenley's toys until Draco came home. He used the Floo Network more often now because he hated apperation, so Hermione was shocked when he apperated into the middle of the living room and almost knocked her over.

"Sorry, it's been a while," Draco apologized, helping Hermione back up off the couch.

"Why didn't you just take the Floo Network like usual? It would've saved you the trouble of knocking over your wife," she asked him, setting the book she had in her hand on the couch and sitting down.

He shed his coat and charmed it to go with his briefcase to the study before joining her on the couch.

"Well the Ministry thought it fit to shut down all their Floo connections because _one_ of them wasn't working properly. One! I couldn't believe it but as it turned out, a Ministry employee's family went missing early today shortly after leaving the Ministry through that connection. They were visiting him before leaving for her parent's house for the day."

"That's horrible! Did they find them yet?" Hermione asked anxiously. Draco shook his head solemnly and said,

"No, they're still looking. This is the fifth disappearance in the last month and the Minister is starting to send out every available person to search for these people. I'm surprised he hasn't sent me out yet actually because Harry's been out at least twice a week since the third disappearance."

"Were they all related to someone in the Ministry? The people who disappeared I mean," she asked, hoping the answer would be no but her gut feel was against her.

"They all were. That's what's bothering the Minister so much; I'm worried about it too. They've taken from one of the people in a separate department every time; there are only two left that they haven't hit yet. My department and Ron's..." Hermione could barely stifle the gasp that slipped from her lips.

Both were silent for what seemed like hours when Draco finally took notice of the missing presence.

"Hermione, where's Kenley?" he asked anxiously, looking around the room and listening carefully for any sound that would indicate his daughter's whereabouts.

"Don't worry, she's with Noah and Ron. They're babysitting her for the evening so that we can have a nice, quiet dinner together just the two of us. It was their idea," Hermione reassured him, clasping his hand tightly. He gave her a worried look, but found it useless to argue knowing she would win.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked sweetly, leaning back into the couch and flicking his wand at the mantle. The fire flickered to life but didn't give off any heat; a useful trick Draco had picked up from Harry during one of their lunch break chats.

"We should go to the cinema. I haven't been there in ages and I'm dying to go see something," Hermione suggested. Draco raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously, then looked confused and said,

"I've never been to the cinema before. I've been to a theatre and watched plays in the Muggle world, but that's it and it was years ago; probably back before my Hogwarts days."

"Well let's go then! This will be so much fun!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up off the couch and pulling Draco up after her.

. . . .

"I swear, this child is going to drive me insane!" Noah roared over the incessant crying coming from Kenley. She hadn't stopped crying since they set foot back in the house and Noah had tried absolutely everything to calm her down with little success.

"Stop yelling Noah, you're only making it worse." She sent a death glare at Ron and walked over to him, holding out Kenley and saying,

"You deal with her then. I need to take a break." He smiled sarcastically and took her, watching as Noah stormed out of the room and slammed the back door. Ron shook his head and turned back to Kenley, sitting her on his lap so she was facing him and saying,

"What's wrong princess? Do you miss your mum and dad? I bet you do." He wiped away a tear that escaped her eye and stood up, holding her with one arm and reaching for her soother as they walked toward the kitchen.

Kenley's crying started to quiet and soon enough, she was completely quiet.

"That's a good girl. Now aunty won't be so grouchy when she comes back inside!" Ron said happily, kissing Kenley's head and walking toward the door. Noah was sitting on one of the lawn chairs staring out at the yard.

"Come on princess; let's go play in the living room."

. . . .

"That was wonderful! I can't believe it's been so long since I last did that." Draco smirked at her and said,

"I enjoyed it too. We should go for dinner; I'm starving!" Hermione took his hand and began to walk down the crowded sidewalk.

"Where should we go? Every place has got to be busy at this time of night and I don't particularly want to go to the Leaky Cauldron," she asked, breaking the silence. Draco shrugged and said,

"Why don't we just go to one of the Muggle restaurants down by the library?"

. . . .

"Ron don't let her eat the grass!" Noah laughed from the porch. Ron laughed and scooped Kenley up off the grass, brushing away what was in her hand and walking back toward the porch.

"Silly girl, grass doesn't taste good!" Ron teased.

"What's up with those weird clouds? They look like jet trails," Noah asked, pointing up to the smoke trails that were streaking across the sky toward them. Ron looked up in the direction she'd been pointing and struggled to see them against the now darkening sky, but recognized them instantly.

"Noah get inside with Kenley! Go, now!" Ron told her, giving Kenley to her and pulling out his wand.

"What's going on? What are those clouds?" Noah asked nervously, taking Kenley from Ron and standing up.

"They're not clouds, they're Death Eaters! Now get inside!" he shouted, pushing them toward the door, but he was too late. They were shrouded in black smoke and there were spells being fired, but Ron, Noah and Kenley were all captured.

"Leave the baby with the girl, we don't want any casualties. Now let's go!" an anonymous voice shouted at them. They took off and were once again in the air.

The four tall men dumped the captives in a dark, moonlit room before slamming the door and magically sealing it and leaving.

"Noah are you ok? Where's Kenley? Is she ok?" Ron asked frantically, searching while his eyes adjusted to the dark. Noah grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her.

"Ron? Noah? Is that really you guys?" a female voice called out in the dark. Ron's eyes had adjusted enough to see around the room with what little moonlight they had to work with. On the opposite side of the room was Ginny, looking afraid yet relieved to see her brother. He ran over and flung his arms around his little sister, squeezing her tightly and saying,

"Ginny what the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"I've been here since this morning. I was on my way to work when they grabbed me, but I still don't know where we are. All I know is that we're sitting in some kind of cellar or something and the men that just came with you two are-"

"Death Eaters," Ron finished.

"They're Ex-Death Eaters actually. All of the Death Eaters that weren't captured or reformed went into hiding," she corrected.

"There's three of us actually. I've got Kenley here too," Noah added.

"You've got Kenley? Why do you guys have her?"

"We were babysitting her for Hermione and Draco while they went out for dinner when they came and captured us," Ron explained.

"What do you think they want with us?" Ron wondered aloud. Both girls shrugged and Noah adjusted Kenley on her lap, who was getting restless and tired.

"They've been careful to hold their tongues around all of us when they come down here, so I haven't heard anything yet," Ginny told them, leaning back against the wall.

"All of us? You mean there's more?" Noah asked. Ginny nodded and pointed to the door.

"You know about all of those families that have disappeared? The one's related to the Ministry employees? They're all in the rooms down this hall. A lot of them have small children too." Ron shook his head and Noah pulled Kenley a little closer at the thought. Kenley may not be her child, but Noah still feared for her safety. She couldn't begin to imagine what Hermione and Draco would be going through when they found out.

"Oh my god, I just remembered something. Hermione and Draco are coming by the house to pick up Kenley after their done dinner. They're going to come to the house and we won't be there," Noah exclaimed nervously.

. . . .

"I can't wait to get home. I miss Kenley so much and it's only been a couple of hours," Hermione admitted as they sat down in the restaurant.

"I know how you feel. I wonder how Ron and Noah are holding up with her. She can be really grouchy before bed if she's had a busy day and I imagine they had her playing all afternoon to wear her out before bed," Draco told her, watching as the waitress began to make her way toward them.

After they'd ordered their drinks, Hermione said,

"I warned them about that too, but I think they'll be fine. So I never got to ask you how work was before we left the house."

Draco shrugged and replied,

"It was work. We've been so slow lately other than searching for the missing families that most people volunteer their time to join the search parties. Harry and I were a few of the only people in the office today."

"Well that's good I suppose. When you're not busy you tend to come home sooner and that's never a bad thing. Kenley always misses you during the day so it's nice that you get to spend lots of time with us."

"I do enjoy spending time with my girls," Draco admitted. The waitress brought their drinks and they ordered the rest of their food, resuming the conversation after she left.

"So do you guys have any new leads on the cases?" Hermione asked, taking a sip from her water.

"Not as far as I know. I wish we did though, I feel horrible for all the people whose families are missing. I couldn't imagine if that were you and Kenley who were missing." A heavy silence weighed in the air around them until Hermione said,

"You're worried about her; I can see it on your face. Don't worry about it sweetie, she'll be fine. Trust me; Ron and Noah are perfectly capable at keeping her safe and happy while we're gone." He smiled at her and she took his hand, squeezing it once reassuringly.

. . . .

"I told Noah we'd just stop by their house and pick up Kenley. She's probably sleeping though, so she's just going to be even grumpier when we get home," Hermione told Draco as they walked up to the door. Draco knocked on the door, waiting to hear someone running to open it but hearing nothing. After knocking again three more times, he went around to the back of the house while Hermione tried knocking again with no response.

_What could be taking them so long? They can't have gone to bed already. _

Draco returned from the back yard with something in his hand, but Hermione hadn't the slightest clue as to what it could be until he held it up in front of her. Her stomach churned and she felt sick. In Draco's hand was Kenley's toy otter that she took everywhere with her.

"All the lights were on and the back door was open, but no one was inside and I found this on the back porch," he told her, handing her the toy.

"Let's get back to the house. Maybe they went back there just now to wait for us," Hermione told him, grabbing his hand and towing him behind her down the sidewalk.

"Draco, the kitchen light is on. I think someone's in the house," Hermione told him nervously, pointing toward the illuminated window on the side of the house. Wands out, they entered their house quietly. A man was standing in the kitchen pacing and jumped, wand aimed at Draco, when he heard them come in.

"Who's the- Harry? What are you doing here?" They all lowered their wands and Harry walked into the living room, squinting when Draco flicked on the lights.

"It's Ginny, she's missing and I think Ron and Noah are too. They weren't at their house." Hermione's heart sank. Her best friends and her daughter were missing. She shook her head and warily said,

"No, this can't be happening. Not tonight; not with all the other disappearances."

"Hermione, they're kidnappings. All of those people were kidnapped, and I think Ginny and the others have been taken too," Draco told her. The pain on his face was almost unbearable for her to watch and when she thought of Kenley, the tears rolled down her cheeks freely with no sign of stopping.

"Hermione what's wrong? Wait, where's Kenley?" Harry asked, looking around the room but seeing no sign of his god-daughter.

"Ron and Noah were babysitting her while we went for dinner," Draco told him. His face fell and the silence in the room was deafening.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey everyone, Stephanie here with Chapter 23! I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.  
**

Chapter 23: Unplottable

"I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but there's really nothing more we can do than what's already happening. I'm truly sorry for all of you," Shacklebolt told them. They were standing in the middle of the Auror Office with the Minister and had just explained their situation, hoping he would take further action. Shacklebolt left them and once he was out of the room, Draco said,

"Well, I suppose we're just going to have to join the search parties. There's nothing more we can do."

"There's got to be something more we can do. We have to do something," Harry growled, gripping the edge of the desk in front of him.

"Harry we're going to find them but we can't do anything more than what's happening now. You heard Shacklebolt," Draco told him. Harry slammed his fists down on the desk, making Hermione and Draco jump.

"I HAVE TO FIND HER! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT SHACKLEBOLT SAID, WE'RE DOING SOMETHING MORE!" In an angry blur Harry flipped the desk, sending it crashing to the floor. A crack formed down the middle of the top and it split.

"Harry!" He turned and looked at Hermione, his eyes filled with pure anger and determination.

"I... I'm sorry, I just can't stand to sit and do nothing while she's missing. I have to find her." Hermione sat next to Harry, who had taken a spot on the floor and hung his head between his knees, and said,

"I know Harry. We're going to find them though, I promise."

"We have to. I can't lose Kenley," Draco added, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"So what are we going to do?"

"Well firstly we have to find out who exactly is taking all these people, and why," Hermione began, looking to the boys for ideas. Harry looked to Draco, who was deep in thought, and asked,

"Do you still have your uh, mark?" Draco looked over at him and closed his eyes, his right hand clasping around his left wrist and squeezing tightly.

"I used to, but it faded completely right before we went back for our seventh year after the war. It _was_ gone, but... it came back a few weeks ago." Hermione's eyes were wide and Harry's mouth gaped open slightly. Draco rolled up his sleeve to reveal the dark, defined black skull with the slithering serpent protruding from its mouth. It looked as though it was actually moving around beneath the thin layer of flesh covering Draco's forearm.

"Harry, you don't think it could be a sign that he's back, could it?" Hermione whispered.

"No, I killed him for good. I had to die to do it, so if he came back after all that we went through to end him I'm going to do a lot worse than break a desk."

"My father's mark didn't fade after you killed Voldemort because he'd been a Death Eater for a lot longer than I had. Not all of the Death Eaters were reformed after the war; some of them went into hiding," Draco explained, his eyes clouding over as he spoke making him seem as though someone had confunded him.

"What could it mean? A mark wouldn't just reappear out of nowhere for no reason, would it?" Hermione asked, walking over and looking more closely at the mark.

"If the unreformed Death Eaters are coming together and reactivating the marks, we could all be in grave danger right now because of this mark. I say we find out where they are," Draco said, grabbing a piece of scrap parchment from the desk behind him and setting it on the mark. Harry and Hermione watched in confusion as Draco wrapped the parchment tight to his arm. After a moment of silence, he pulled the parchment away and held it up to them.

"Unplottable? What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked, taking the parchment from him and examining it.

"It's a location. Wherever the majority of the Death Eaters are gathered or are making reoccurring visits to can be traced through the mark, but only by someone with the mark. One of Voldemort's inventions to keep his whereabouts hidden from the Ministry."

"If that's the name of a location, then they have to be gathering somewhere that can't be plotted on a map. The only place I can think of is Hogwarts," Harry suggested.

"Malfoy Manor. It was made unplottable while Voldemort was hiding away at the manor near the end of the war," Draco added, his voice a low growl.

"Do you think they're hiding there? Wait, Draco doesn't your mum still live there?" Harry asked him, leaning against the desk adjacent tot the one he'd broken. Draco shook his head, running a hand through his hair and replying,

"No, she moved out shortly after I got released from Azkaban. She lives in a cottage near Bill and Fleur. It is a possibility that they're hiding there, but I highly doubt it. Why would they hide somewhere I can get to so easily?"

"Maybe they know that you wouldn't think they're hiding there for that reason and it's all a trap to make you go to all the wrong places and never ending up finding them until it's all too late." Hermione eyed Harry curiously and said,

"If that's true, then they are hiding them at Malfoy Manor and we could find them within the next day or so."

"If it's not though, we would just be wasting time which is something we can't afford to do if we want to find them," Draco countered.

"I say we look there. What's it going to hurt if we just go there ourselves and look. If they're there, we can always call for back up and if not then that narrows down our search," Harry suggested. Both Hermione and Draco gave him sceptical looks, debating what to do.

"I don't know Harry. I mean, what if we do find them but there are too many Death Eaters for us to fight off before the others get there?"

"Come on Hermione, we can handle them. We survived the war for Merlin sakes! I'm the Boy Who Lived, you two are the brightest witch and wizard of your age; I'm pretty sure we can handle a couple of Death Eaters." Draco stood up straight and said,

"I agree with Harry on this one. Hell, I was a Death Eater at one time; I know what they're like and how to beat them. With me here we've got the upper hand and we could easily find them."

"Yeah, and to be honest all the Death Eaters I've run into in the past weren't the smartest," Harry added.

Hermione knew what was going to happen from that point on. They would both band together and try to convince her that Harry's plan was the best. With a sigh, she made up her mind and said,

"Fine, let's go."

. . . .

The sun was just high enough in the sky to let a small stream of light pour in through the cellar window. Ron was the first of the three adults to wake up that morning, waking before the sun had lit up the room enough to see clearly where they were. The room they were in was some sort of storage room; the walls lined with boxes and shelves. They had found out the previous night that there were two couches as well, each of which was currently occupied by Ginny and Noah.

Curiosity consumed him as he sat and stared at each of the boxes around the room, wondering what was inside of each.

Some were labelled, and some were bare; the labelled ones were nearly unreadable because of the messy writing. Leaning against one of the shelves across the room was a regular sized broom as well as a small, child sized broom accompanied by a large stack of Quidditch magazines and biographies of famous Quidditch players. Everything had a thick layer of dust covering it, making it hard to see some labels. A large potion making set sat on the floor beside a box labelled "ingredients".

One shelf was filled to the brim with books and albums, as well as a few boxes bursting with photographs. One caught Ron's eye, making him stand and slowly make his way over to the shelf. In the photo were three men, one of whom was holding a baby, all standing in a kitchen laughing. A small girl who looked to be about six or seven ran in and out of the bottom of the photo, her bright pink hair bouncing around as she ran. Ron recognized who these people were instantly. The girl was Tonks as a child, the man with the baby was James and the men on either side of him were Remus and Sirius.

Eager to see more, Ron pulled the box off the shelf and sat down on the floor, opening the lid and pulling out a handful of pictures. Every photo was moving, each one telling a story and delving into Harry's world; a world he barely got to know before having it ripped away from him. He couldn't imagine how much different it would have been to grow up without his family or his parents. They'd helped make him who he was; even the flaws. Harry had grown up with three people who didn't give a damn about him and were there just to put up with him. He never had a family until he came to Hogwarts, and even then no one had ever truly loved him the way Ginny does.

Ron looked over to his sleeping sister and frowned, knowing how much she would never know about those months he, Harry and Hermione had spent on the run. How much it killed him to not know if she was alright or not; how much it killed Harry. He shook his head and grabbed another handful of photos from the box. The photos in this pile were taken at Hogwarts and Ron held back a laugh when he saw pictures of Snape in his school years. By the time he'd reached the end of the box, Ron had himself wondering just where they were being held. He looked down at his watch to check the time and was surprised to see that it was only seven thirty in the morning.

"Time to get up for work," he muttered sarcastically as he put all the photos back in the box and set it back on the shelf. Yes, normally at this time he would be waking up to go to work just like he did every day. Only he hadn't planned on waking up yesterday morning and being kidnapped, so that through a twist on his day. Movement on the other side of the room caught his eye and he turned, nearly knocking over the box he'd just replaced. After catching the box and setting it carefully back into place, he saw Noah shift in her sleep again.

. . . .

"God, I've never been this bored in my life!" Ginny growled, looking out the window at the sky. After eight hours of sitting cooped up in a room with three other people, Ron too started to feel bored. He'd managed to stay entertained by playing with Kenley, but she'd been put down for a nap so he too was feeling the boredom.

"Maybe there's something in one of those boxes," Noah thought aloud, looking over to the stacks of boxes and the shelves.

"There's no harm in looking I suppose." Ron sat back and watched the two girls look through some of the boxes, knowing what they would eventually come across. After about ten minutes, Ginny pulled the box of photos off the shelf and flipped through some of them, stopping on one in particular and pulling it out to get a closer look.

"Ron come look at this photo. I think these are Harry's parents," she called to him. Noah looked over her shoulder and said,

"That one looks kind of like Remus, doesn't it?"

"Is there a little pink haired girl running through the bottom of the photo and the man in the middle holding the baby?" Ron asked, not moving from his place on the couch.

"How did you know that?" Ginny asked, handing the photo to Noah.

"I looked through that box this morning before you two were awake. The men on either side of James and Harry are Remus and Sirius, and the little girl running through the photo is Tonks when she was a kid. Some of those photos date back to their Hogwarts years."

"Why would there be photos of Harry's parents in this room?" Noah asked, looking through one of the albums that were on the shelf behind them.

"I was wondering the same thing this morning. I'm still wondering exactly where we are. I never got around to looking through any other boxes but I'm guessing they're full of things that belonged to his parents too," Ron explained, standing up and walking over to one of the larger boxes that were on the floor next to the brooms. This box was labelled "Harry" in what appeared to be a woman's writing. Curiously, Ron opened it and found it to be filled with all sorts of baby clothes and toys. Ginny and Noah each picked a different box and opened it.

. . . .

"Are we ready then?" Hermione asked, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Harry and Draco both nodded, Draco holding out his hand to Hermione. Harry took hold of the sleeve of Draco's jacket and braced himself for apperation. After a few short seconds of being compressed, their feet made contact with the gravel road beneath them and Hermione slipped. With a thump, she was on the ground and mumbling something under her breath that was inaudible to the boys. Draco helped her up and she brushed her coat off as they made their way up the long driveway.

"Are you sure it's safe to be walking up to the Manor in broad daylight like this? What if they see us coming or something?" Hermione asked warily, clutching Draco's hand tightly.

"We'll be fine sweetheart, don't worry about it. Harry, I wouldn't touch the gate if I were you. It's enchanted so that no one can actually touch it. You have to know the spell to pass through," Draco called out to Harry, who had walked slightly ahead and was reaching out to open the gate. He drew his hand back and waited a bit impatiently for Hermione and Draco to reach him. Draco drew his wand from his cloak and waved it silently. The three watched as the gate quivered and became still again. Draco walked right through the gate, which turned to smoke around him then rematerialized. Harry speed walked through it and Hermione walked casually through it, grabbing Draco's hand once again as they continued to walk.

"For a place that hasn't been lived in for nearly a year and a half, it looks pretty well kept to me," Harry told them suspiciously. Indeed, the Manor seemed very well kept but Draco had a simple answer to Harry's statement.

"The yard was charmed to groom itself. My father hated doing anything around the house and refused to let my mother do any yard work. He wouldn't even let her tend to the garden she and I had planted together when I was a child. He charmed the entire property to groom itself and keep looking presentable. I guess the spell just hasn't worn off yet," he explained. Harry scanned the yard suspiciously as they ascended the staircase to the front door. Without knocking, Draco turned the handle and walked right in, wand raised and ready to defend himself and the others.

At first glance, the house seemed deserted, but one could never really know unless they looked.

"I'll take the basement, Hermione you take the main floor and Harry you go upstairs. The faster we get through here the better," Draco announced, breaking the silence. Harry nodded and quickly made his way up the grand staircase directly in front of them. Hermione however seemed a bit more nervous about them all splitting up. She grabbed Draco's arm as he started to walk away and whispered,

"Draco, please be careful. I have a bad feeling about this place." He kissed her and replied,

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too." Draco turned and walked toward the opposite set of stairs, looking back over his shoulder and smiling before descending the stairs by wand light. Hermione turned and walked toward the arched doorway that led to the kitchen, wand out in front of her. In the few times she'd actually been in Malfoy Manor, she'd never once thought she would make it out alive. This time was no different. There was an atmosphere to the place that made it impossible not to look over your shoulder ever other minute to see if something was following you.

After clearing the kitchen, dining room and living room, Hermione found herself standing in front of two large oak doors. She carefully pushed one of them open and gasped at the beauty she found within the room. It was a ballroom, elegantly decorated with ornately carved crown moulding and polished wooden floors. A chandelier hung gracefully from the ceiling, casting shimmering light around the room as the sunlight caught the jewels. It was the pinnacle of the entire room. Stolen in the moment, Hermione didn't hear Harry enter into the room and shrieked when he tapped on her shoulder.

"Merlin Harry! You scared me half to death!" she shouted at her raven haired friend. He smiled innocently and said,

"Sorry about that Hermione. I honestly thought you heard me come in." From outside the room they heard thundering footfall accompanied by the frantic shouting of one Draco Malfoy. He burst through the doors looking slightly manic and with his wand raised shouted,

"Get away from her you useless- oh Harry, it's just you."

"Did either of you find anything? Upstairs was clear," Harry asked them, pocketing his wand. Both shook their heads and Draco said,

"Looks like they aren't here."

"Where could they be? I mean, there aren't any other places I can think off the top of my head that are known as unplottable. This coming from the person who's read probably every book in the Hogwarts library," Hermione admitted, defeated.

"It's ok Hermione, we'll find them. We should look up some places that we know are unplottable, but let's get the hell out of here first. This place is creeping me out," Harry suggested, walking out of the room and heading for the front door. Draco took Hermione by the hand and followed Harry out of the Manor, leaving behind the past he wanted to forget.

. . . .

Harry peeked around the edge of a stack of books and caught Hermione's attention. She looked up from the thick book in her hands and said,

"Did you find something?"

"Well not exactly but I was thinking, what if the unplottable thing was just a cover up for the real location? I mean maybe they're hiding right under our noses and we have no idea," he explained. Draco carefully slid a pile of books out of his way and looked over to Harry and Hermione.

"It makes sense. They could be sending us on a wild goose chase all over the country when they're hiding in the most obvious place. Question is, where are they hiding? That always seems to be the question, doesn't it?" Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement. Harry shut his book and said,

"Well so far I've gotten nothing out of any of the books I've looked through."

"The only place I know for sure that's unplottable is Hogwarts, but I highly doubt a bunch of Death Eaters are going to hold their captives hostage in a school," Draco added, setting his book on the top of a pile and leaning back in his chair.

. . . .

"Ron, I think we're in Harry's old house in Godric's Hollow. There's no other explanation for why all this stuff would be here and it kind of makes sense doesn't it? A bunch of Death Eaters kidnap the family and close friends of the boy who killed their leader? They obviously know he's going to come looking for us, and with a vengeance I would assume. They're trying to lure him in."

"It does make sense Gin, but if that's where we are now, Harry's never going to figure that out. Even when he's got Hermione and Draco behind him helping him look for us, there's no way they'll figure that out," Ron countered.

"I really hope he has his head on straight enough to find us," Ginny told him worriedly, staring out the window.


	24. Chapter 24

**Steph again with chapter 24! i hope you guys enjoy it. Review and let me know!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.  
**

Chapter 24: A Safe Spot

"Why. Can't. I. Think. Of. Any. Other. Places!" Hermione grumbled, banging her head with each word. Harry tried to hold his laughter while Draco rolled his eyes and walked over to her, rubbing her back while saying,

"Hermione, love, you should really stop hitting your head on the desk. I'm sure we'll find some more places to look." She sat up straight and glared at him momentarily before her face softened and she sighed.

"It's been almost a week Draco and we've still had no luck. How much longer are we going to be able to do this before we run out of places to look for?"

"Are you giving up? Hermione, you can't be giving up," Harry asked frantically.

"No, I'm not giving up. It's just that we've been at this for a week now and we still have no leads. If I could just think of any other places then maybe I wouldn't feel so bad about my daughter and best friends being missing!"

"Oh my god. I just realized something we overlooked. Grimmauld Place has been unplottable since the Order used it. It's still unplottable! I haven't gone to check on the place in over a year and Kreacher came with me to my house in Godric's Hollow so he wouldn't have been there to warn me of an intruder." Hermione and Draco both looked at Harry with stunned faces.

"I can't believe I didn't think of Grimmauld Place! If they're hiding there, they would be right underneath our noses and we've been overlooking it this whole time! Harry we have to go there!" Hermione exclaimed, standing up out of her chair and nearly knocking it over.

. . . .

"There's no one here. You've got to be kidding me!"

"Come on, let's get back to the Ministry so we can sign out and go home. As much as I want to keep looking, I want to have a night at home to recuperate," Draco suggested.

"You can go home if you want but I'm staying to look through some more files."

"Awe come on Hermione, why don't you guys come over to my place and we can have dinner?" Harry asked, hoping he could convince Hermione to take a night off for a change.

"I've already made up my mind. I'll try and come as soon as I can, but I just want to look at a few more files," she told them as they walked out of the house.

"Fine, but you have to come as soon as you're done. I want to at least be able to spend_ some_ time with you outside of the Ministry," Draco told her, pleading somewhat. She rolled her eyes and said,

"Fine, I'll come over as soon as I'm done. Now let's get back to the Ministry so I can look through those last few files and actually have time to spend with you guys." Draco shook his head and grabbed onto Harry's arm, turning on the spot and disapperating back to the Ministry.

. . . .

"Ginny, Noah, I think something's wrong with me. I'm not hungry," Ron told them sarcastically as he bounced Kenley on his knee.

"Maybe it's because you're not eating every five minutes. I actually think you've lost a bit of weight come to think of it," Noah added, poking Ron's stomach.

"Come off it Noah! I might be a little chubby but I'm definitely not fat," he argued. Ginny smirked and rolled her eyes, too deep in her own thoughts to partake in their conversation.

They'd been here for nearly a week and there had been no sign yet of anyone coming for them. As well, she'd seen no one else being brought in by the Death Eaters which meant that either they were still looking for people who've gone into hiding or they've found everyone they wanted and now are waiting for the right time to give a ransom. She knew Harry too well though; she knew he would come find them himself and do whatever it took to get them out safely.

_I wonder if he has any clue we're only a few blocks away... he could be sitting in the living room right now and not know that we're only a short walk away from being rescued. _

Ron's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She shook her head a bit and focused on her brother.

"Sorry Ron, what did you say?" He smirked and repeated himself once more.

"I said, what's got your head in the clouds? You've been a little too quiet lately." She shrugged her shoulders dismissively and stood up, stretching her arms above her head and looking lazily out the small window above them. For the first time since they'd been put in the room, she saw movement outside the window. Her eyes widened and she all but climbed on top of Ron as she struggled to make it to the window. Standing on the top of the couch back with her hands firmly gripping the window ledge, Ginny's eyes searched eagerly for the movement she'd seen only seconds ago. To her sheer disappointment, there wasn't a soul in sight. She searched as far as the window's tiny opening would allow her before jumping down and glumly resuming her place on the floor, leaning into the puffy couch cushion and closing her eyes.

Both Ron and Noah stared anxiously at Ginny, who was currently sitting with her knees pulled to her chest and her head lulling back tiredly against the couch. Kenley's undecipherable babble broke the silence as she played with a toy they'd pulled out of the boxes.

. . . .

"How much do you want to bet she's not going to make it here within the next hour?" Draco asked Harry as they walked down the quiet streets of Godric's Hollow. Harry shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands in his coat pockets, kicking a loose rock as they walked.

"Knowing her, those 'few files' she's going to look at will be thicker than my waistline and she will probably want to look over them two or three times just to be sure she didn't skip any minute detail. Bless her Gryffindor heart but the girl really needs to ease off the perfection a bit," Harry told him, chuckling at the end in a light hearted tone that made Draco join him. Their footfall slowed and Draco came to a stop. Harry stopped a few paces ahead of him; not realizing he'd stopped, and backtracked to where his blonde friend stood staring at the house.

"This is where it all started. This whole bloody life of mine. See that part where the walls and roof are missing? That was my bedroom; that's where he tried, but fail, to kill me," Harry pointed out, his voice a little more complacent than Draco would've thought. A cool breeze blew around them and drew them back to reality from their daydreaming states. Draco tucked his coat tighter around himself and continued to walk, Harry not far behind him.

When they finally made it to the house, Harry and Draco both stripped their outer coats off and left them hanging at the door, walking into the home Harry'd come to love even without Ginny there. He lit a fire in the hearth and felt contentment as the heat began to seep out and warm the house.

"Want a drink?" he asked Draco, who'd taken a seat on the edge of the couch and become lost in quiet thought as he stared at the flickering flames. He nodded absentmindedly and heard Harry's footsteps retreat into the kitchen, not feeling the need to look over his shoulder at his friend.

As he stared into the fire, his thoughts wandered to his wife and he frowned slightly. She was always working so hard; filling the void of her missing child. Nearly every night since they'd been taken, when she thought he wasn't awake to hear her, she would lie beside him in bed and cry. He craved to roll over and comfort her, to try and ease her pain in some way, but he knew what would happen. She would put on her strong face and tell him she'd be fine and to go back to sleep because he needed his rest, which in turn would make him frown at her denial and roll back over for the sake of not fighting. Though she'd long since left her Hogwarts day behind, he was constantly reminded of her Gryffindor courage and the strength she harboured that he both admired and feared at times. Every day she woke up to a completely quiet house, letting the realization that her baby girl was missing settle like a heavy layer of dust over her heart. He knew she felt a pain that only a mother could feel for her child, but Draco knew that he felt the worst sense of failure as a father. He'd let his little girl slip out of his hands like the air he breathed and nothing he could do was enough to find her and bring her back to them. The tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and he struggled to hold them back for a moment before letting them fall freely down his cheeks. He buried his face in his hands, engulfing himself in the looming sadness that hung over him like a raincloud.

The sound of Harry's soft footsteps barely registered in Draco's ears over the pounding of blood through his veins and his racing heart. Harry sat down on the couch a cushion over from Draco and set the half full glass of red wine in front of him, noticing for the first time the wetness that seeped out from behind his palms. Unsure of what to do, he set his drink down and shifted to directly face his sobbing friend.

"Drake, you ok mate?" he asked nervously. Draco shook his head and began to audibly sob into his large, calloused hands.

. . . .

"Come on, there's got to be something here," Hermione muttered to herself as she flipped through the large file for the fourth time. This was the eighth stack of Ministry approved unplottable housing registries she'd looked through and not one of them directly related to any of the people who'd had family kidnapped. Hermione tiredly closed the file and trudged over to the filing cabinet it had come from, sliding it back into place and reaching for the last one in the drawer. This one was noticeably thinner than the others, fitting easily in her hand as she walked back to the desk she'd taken up.

It was slowly becoming evident to Hermione that maybe none of the families had made their houses unplottable, which didn't help narrow down their search in the least but at least it was a start. As she aimlessly flipped through this small file, she came across a few names that struck her as familiar. The Longbottoms, the McKinnon's, the Black's and the Tonks' were among some of the names she recognized as she skimmed down the list, her heart stopping when she found the name she'd completely skipped over the entire week of searching. The Potter's. They'd made their house unplottable and made Pettigrew their Secret Keeper. The only way Voldemort found them was because Pettigrew gave him the address.

Hermione dropped everything, grabbing her wand and jacket and heading for the elevators as fast as her legs would carry her. The whole time she ran thoughts of her family and close friends whirred through her head in a blur of realization. It wasn't until she actually reached the apperation point that she noticed she was crying. She hurriedly brushed away the salty teardrops and disapperated for Harry's house, knowing he and Draco would be there.

When she arrived, both boys were sitting in the living room playing a rowdy game of Wizards Chess. She didn't bother knocking and burst through the door, making both men jump at her sudden presence. Her nervous demeanour and livid stance indicated her findings to Harry and Draco, who stood up and waited for an explanation.

"They're keeping them at your old house Harry. I was looking through the Ministry's Unplottable housing registries and found the house on the list along with many others. It all makes sense now. Death Eaters capturing people and finally capturing our families and friends to try and lure in the one person they would want to bring down to avenge their old master's death. Harry, they want to kill you and are using the captives as bait."

There was something about the way she called her very own family and close friends 'captives' that set Draco's teeth on edge; like this was all a case that the Ministry had sent them out to solve and not her own flesh and blood on the line. While in his brooding thoughts, Harry and Hermione had advanced to a new leg of the conversation, focusing mainly on how they were going to get in and get the captives out safely.

"How did we not see them in there earlier when we stood in front of the bloody house?" Draco asked loudly, interrupting the conversation.

"They probably cast a disillusionment charm on the place so we can't see what's going on inside. It's kind of like the charms we cast around our campsites when we were hunting for Horcruxes, only they cast it on the house," Harry explained calmly, noticing Draco's anger beginning to escalate. He was practically livid, his hand clutched around his wand with so much force he could break it with one false move. He wanted action; he wanted revenge. He knew what they needed to do.

"Harry, get your Invisibility cloak; I have a plan."

. . . .

They stood just two houses away, Harry with his Invisibility Cloak draped over his arm, his wand in the other hand anxious for their plan to take place. Hermione stood between the two boys, her arms wrapped securely around Draco's waist.

"So you know what you have to do then? When I go in and distract them, you guys go in behind me under the cloak and find the others. I'll make sure to keep them away from the door and windows so they can't see you bringing the others out. Take them to the safe spot and wait there for me. If I don't come back out within fifteen minutes, start letting them disapperate back to their families and whatever you do, don't come looking for me." Hermione's arms tightened and his chest became heavy as he felt the fear in her heart radiate off her onto him. He looked down onto her warm, chocolate brown eyes and whispered,

"I know, I'm scared too but you have to be strong. I'll be ok, love, trust me." She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes.

"I do trust you. I trust you with all my heart," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat, "I love you so much." He kissed her tenderly, letting the pure emotion he felt run through the kiss. They both straightened out, Hermione now clutching the hand closest to her while Draco reached around her to shake Harry's hand and say,

"Good luck in there mate. Take care of my wife for me." Harry nodded solidly, shaking his hand and unhooking the cloak from his arm to place it over himself and Hermione.

They walked almost silently down the street toward the house that held what they were looking for. Hermione had cast a silencing charm on herself and Harry, making it impossible to hear them as they walked up to the wrought iron gate that blocked their way. Draco unhooked the latch and pushed it open, stepping inside and forcing himself to restrain a shocked gasp. Harry and Hermione both saw what he saw and beneath the cloak Harry let out an audible gasp, heard only by the two of them, at the house before them.

The haunted, destroyed house they saw before the gate was replaced with a warmly lit, fully fixed house with a beautifully trimmed lawn. The house itself screamed an invitation to Harry, who had longed for this house to be his since he first saw it with Hermione all those years ago. Hermione grabbed his arm and held onto it tightly to ensure he wouldn't blow their cover as they walked up the cobblestone walkway to the front steps. The front door was wide open, which struck the trio as strange but opportune in their plan. Draco lead the way, his wand in his hand prepared to defend them at any second. As they entered the house, the main hall extended to the back end of the house, where another door stood wide open leading to the lush backyard. Directly to the left was the living room, where three Death Eaters sat lounging on the furniture discussing something irrelevant. Down the hall closer to the back entrance was an opening to the basement on the left wall adjacent to the kitchen entrance, neither of which had a door. Directly to their right was the staircase to the upper level, which Harry and Hermione had silently decided not to explore having a gut feeling that the others were in the basement. With one last deep, calming breath, Draco walked forward into the living room and allowed Hermione and Harry to pass behind him and head for the basement.

"Well well well, look who decided to finally crawl back to where he belongs. Welcome back Draco!" Dolohov chortled, shifting on the couch. Draco easily pocketed his wand and put on his best Malfoy smirk, easily falling into conversation with the three men while secretly hoping Harry and Hermione's half of the plan would go well.

In the basement, Harry and Hermione made sure there were no Death Eaters guarding the basement before taking off the cloak and casting silencing charms around the stairs and main hallway, Hermione daring to sneak up and cast one right into the hallway before sneaking back down next to Harry and quietly whispering,

"Let's get everyone out and explain the plan. Make sure to keep them quiet as you possibly can." He nodded in agreement and reached to the first handle, turning it and walking in with a finger raised to his lips. The family inside jumped with silent rejoice at the sight of Harry, knowing that they were being rescued finally. Hermione did the same to the door across from him, opening it and shushing the people inside, noting the three toddlers that were huddled into their parent's arms and telling them to keep especially quiet. After opening three doors each and instructing the families to stay put until they came back for them to get them all out at once, they went together to the last door knowing what lie behind it. Harry anxiously opened the door with his finger held raised to his lips and walked in, Hermione close behind him. The first thing that Hermione saw was Kenley lying in Ron's arms peacefully asleep and her eyes instantly became wet with tears. Making no noise, they three adult stood up and rushed over to their companions, engulfing them in tight, longing hugs.

In the lowest voice she could muster, Noah asked,

"Where's Draco?" Hermione pointed up toward the ceiling and everyone understood. Harry, who was still embracing Ginny so tightly both could hardly breathe, pulled away reluctantly and motioned for the group to follow them out into the hall. The other families followed the motions and when everyone was out I the open, Harry led them one group at a time toward the top of the stairs, listening carefully to the sounds but hearing no immediate sign of danger. The captive's wands were all being held in a box near the bottom of the stairs and were reclaimed by the owners as they walked up the stairs. Harry cast a disillusionment charm on the first family and directed them to go out and meet at the church, which had been elected the safe point, and wait for the others to arrive.

The family with the three toddlers was up next and just to be safe, Harry cast both a disillusionment charm and a silencing charm on them before letting them go, watching out carefully for a Death Eater. Each family continued out of the house easily and when the time came for the last group to go, Harry handed his cloak to Hermione and whispered,

"I want you to take Kenley, Ginny and Noah under the cloak. Ron and I will use the charm and follow right behind you, alright?" She nodded gratefully, planting a kiss on her best friend's cheek before getting Noah to take Kenley from Ron and pulling the cloak over them all. They fit, but barely so they were going to have to be extremely careful. Harry and Ron disappeared with the charm, Harry leading the girls out with Ron taking up the rear as they made their way out of the house.

No one spoke a word as they made their way to the safe spot, the freedom they felt rushing through their veins and taking over. The families that were already at the church were chatting quietly, each having undone the charms so that they were in each other's view again. The parents were hugging their children who were droopy eyed with sleep and wanting to go home. Hermione tore off the cloak once Harry and Ron had removed their charms and become visible again, handing the life saving cloth back to its owner and looking to Noah. She handed Hermione the baby girl, still asleep in her arms, and watched Hermione break down into silent sobs as she clutched her baby to her chest.

Harry watched the tender moment for a while before turning his attention to the other families, who had also been watching the heartfelt reunion.

"Ok, so you are all free to disapperate to your homes. I strongly suggest that you relocate though, maybe to another family member's home just to be safe. We're going to deal with the three back at the house, but we don't know how many more of them there could be or if they'll come back to find you again so you need to get yourselves to a safe, secure location. Thank you for your cooperation, we greatly appreciate it." Every single person, even some of the older children in the group, shook his hand and thanked him for saving them before they disapperated.

Harry turned back to his family and friends, finally addressing them. He took Ginny's hand and held it tightly, feeling the familiar hands in his and taking in her scent as the gentle breeze blew through them.

"Go back to the house and wait there for us. Ron and I are going to wait here until Draco comes back. I've secured the house with the Ministries top level security spells to keep you all safe," he explained to them. Hermione realized what he'd actually said and felt her pulse quicken.

"Wait Harry, I thought I was staying with you to wait for Draco?" she asked feverishly. He shook his head and walked over to her, brushing down some of Kenley's light brown curls as he said,

"Hermione you need to spend time with your daughter. I give you my word that we will go find him and get him out of there if he doesn't come back within the next ten minutes. Please, go back to the house and get warmed up." Reluctantly, Hermione agreed and after a quick hug from her two male best friends, the girls made their way back to the house.

Harry and Ron watched them go for a while before turning back and taking a seat on the bench near them.

"It's good to have you back mate," Harry told Ron as he adjusted to the cool breeze and pocketed his wand.

"Good to be back." They two friends caught up quietly, all the while watching the front gate of the house for any signs of Draco.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Making a Comeback

"So, what brings you here Draco? We thought you reformed like the others and went under Ministry protection," Dolohov asked, gesturing for him to sit down in the chair. Draco casually took a seat and after shaking his head answered.

"I noticed my mark came back a few weeks ago and decided to finally come see what all the fuss was about."

"Well you're just in time! We were about to think up our ransom to send to the Ministry in return for their captives," Nott added enthusiastically. Yaxley swatted his arm and growled,

"We already know what our ransom is going to be you dolt. We're demanding that Potter turn himself in to us so we can get our revenge on him, then when we've finished with him we'll dispose of the captives as we please." Draco's heart clenched, but he kept a straight face so he wouldn't give away the others positions.

"How long have you been planning this entire thing? It all seems pretty elaborate just to lure in Potter and kill him," he asked, his voice calm. All three men shrugged and Dolohov spoke.

"Seems that way, but what better way to get revenge on the Dark Lord than to kill Potter and also the hostages. We want to make our mark on the Ministry once and for all."

"Killing children would leave an impact on the Ministry... When are you planning on starting the uhm... the killing?"

"Tomorrow morning is going to be the first one. We're starting with the ones we picked up earlier this week. That should draw Potter here without a doubt," Yaxley told him, his voice thick with the impending deaths. Draco was slowly losing his composure, although he knew that all three of the men before him knew of his fear of killing.

"Who?"

"Weasley, his wife and their daughter; Potter's precious girlfriend. We're starting with the baby," Dolohov explained, his eyes filled with something Draco couldn't quite place, but he matched it to the equivalent of lust. Lust for killing. They were going to kill his daughter first, then slowly pick off the others one by one until Harry turned himself in. Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat, feeling his wand pressed against his leg and itching to grab it and kill all three of them right then and there. He thought he heard something coming from the hall, but it was just his leg shaking nervously, his heel thumping mutedly against the soft carpet. Untrusting of his own voice, Draco cleared his throat before speaking.

"What if Potter doesn't show up? Then you'll just be killing all these people for no reason."

"It's no skin off our backs. If Potter doesn't show his ugly scarred face, then we'll just have to go find him ourselves. After we kill the captives, of course. Can't let them go blather to the Ministry and get us all locked up in Azkaban, now can we?" Nott answered, confidence filling his words.

A long, highly uncomfortable silence passed and by the end of it Draco was sure he hadn't seen anyone cross the lawn in almost fifteen minutes. Luckily for him, the three men across from him had their backs to the window and had suspected nothing the entire time. After checking his watch, Draco sat on the edge of his seat and said,

"Well, I believe I'll be going. It's getting quite late." Yaxley and Dolohov immediately stood, Draco following nervously.

"You're not going anywhere Malfoy. You're going to stay here, and you're going to help us dispose of the captives. It's going to be you who kills Potter's friends, starting with that baby," Yaxley ordered.

. . . .

"We've waited long enough, let's go Ron." Harry stood up, wand in hand, and turned to his red haired friend.

_I can't believe I'm about to risk my freshly saved arse to save Malfoy, _Ron thought to himself as he stood and joined Harry. They walked briskly toward the house, the cool night air flowing past them in light gusts.

"So how exactly do you propose we do this then? Are we just going to barge in there or will we sneak in and save the day?" Ron asked, his voice hinting at sarcasm. Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"We're going to go in there and pretend to arrest them all, but Draco will 'get away' and we'll just take the others back to the Ministry. I'm just hoping Draco will go along with us and not blow the plan," he explained, rounding the corner and stopping in front of the gates to the house. It once again looked worn out and desolate, but they both knew what lie behind the enchantments. Ron raised his wand and looked to Harry, who quietly said,

"You ready for this mate?"

"As I'll ever be I suppose. Let's do this." The walk up to the front door was short and quick. The two Aurors could see the four other men standing in the sitting room window. Draco was easily distinguished out of the four, his white-blonde hair standing out against the three dark haired Death Eaters. Once inside the threshold of the house, they heard voices floating in from the sitting room.

"...kills Potter's friends, starting with that baby," a deep male voice said, his tone forceful and menacing. The alarm on Ron and Harry's faces was clearly visible as they crept closer to the sitting room entrance. Wands raised, they walked into the sitting room and cornered the four men.

"Drop your wands, all of you! Nobody moves unless I say!" Harry stated clearly, sounding more courageous than he felt.

"Look who it is! Little Potter and his sidekick," Nott called out mockingly. Yaxley slapped his arm while Dolohov said,

"Come to rescue your friends Potter?"

"Well, aren't you just the intuitive one? As a matter of fact, I'm here to rescue my friends _and _put all four of you in Azkaban so if you don't mind I'd like to get this done with," Harry retorted snidely, his wand aimed directly at Dolohov's chest. Draco's eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at his two friends. Had Harry wanted to put him back in Azkaban this whole time? He wouldn't do that to Hermione. He couldn't; Hermione would never forgive him if he did. Still, the look on Harry's face and the way he spoke made it seem like he had every intention of throwing him back into Azkaban.

Suddenly, spells were flying everywhere and Harry just managed to block one that flew his way. Flashes of colour flew through the room, bouncing off the walls and ceiling. Ron shot a spell at Yaxley, catching him off guard and knocking him unconscious. Draco stood against the all watching the action and just narrowly missed a killing curse that bounced off the window and flew toward him. Both Harry and Ron were duelling one on one with the two Death Eaters. With all the might he could muster, Harry cast one final spell at Dolohov and sent him flying into the wall, knocking him out and watching as his wand flew from his hand. Harry then turned his full attention to Nott, who had been battling with Ron, and began to fire off curse after curse at him until he finally gave in and was _stupefied. _

"I'm contacting the Ministry to get some help with these three. Draco, go with Ron back to my house and make sure everyone got back ok will you?" Harry asked, keeping his wand trained on the unconscious Death Eaters on the floor before him.

"We're not leaving you behind here Harry. What if they come to before the Ministry gets here and you can't fight them all off at once? You could be killed," Ron disputed nervously.

"Fine, you can stay. Watch them while I send a Patronus to the Ministry." Harry stalked off toward the kitchen, leaving Ron and Draco standing in the sitting room with their wands raised and trained on the three unconscious men on the floor.

"Thanks for saving me Ron," Draco said to him, breaking the silence. Ron nodded and replied,

"No problem. Hermione would've killed me if I didn't come help Harry save you." They both chuckled until Harry returned to the room.

"They're on their way as we speak. It should only be a few more minutes," he told them casually.

. . . .

"Hermione there's going to be a hole in the floor if you don't stop pacing. I'm sure they'll be back any time now. Harry gave you his word, remember? He wouldn't go back on that," Ginny reassured her.

"I should go find them. They might need my help with something or-"

"Hermione stop. Just let them do their thing, ok? This is what they've been trained to do," Ginny argued, cutting Hermione off.

"You're right; I shouldn't worry so much about them. It's just, we've only barely gotten you all out safely and now they're risking their lives again," Hermione admitted, sitting gently down on the couch so as not to wake the still sleeping Kenley. She smoothed out a patch of Kenley's curly brown hair and watched her sleep for a while, hoping to make the time pass by faster.

"I'm going to make some tea. Do either of you want some?" Ginny asked, standing from the chair she'd been seated in. Noah and Hermione both nodded and watched Ginny leave for the kitchen. Noah sighed and leaned back into the chair a bit.

"It feels so good to be out of that basement. I'm so used to getting up every morning and seeing the sun rising out of the big window in my room."

"I'm just glad we got you all out of there," Hermione added, relaxing into the couch a bit. Ginny returned with the tea and they spent the next while talking about their week until Hermione heard something outside the house. She stood, careful not to jostle Kenley, and walked over to the window. Walking up the sidewalk toward the house were three men who were chatting quietly. Hermione could barely contain herself as she walked quickly to the front door and opened it. The trio looked up at her and smiled, Draco breaking rank and running up the stairs to her. They engulfed each other in a tight, breathless hug on the front step and stayed unmoving. Harry and Ron walked around them and went into the house, leaving them to have some time together.

"You're safe... Thank goodness you're safe..." Hermione whispered into his chest. A few tears escaped her eyes and were soaked up into the front of his robes.

"Hey, it's going to be ok. I'm fine," he replied sweetly, comforting his wife.

"What happened to the others? Did you-"

"No, we didn't kill them. We knocked them out and they're being taken to Azkaban as we speak."

From inside the house, the couple heard their daughter crying and rushed inside. Draco scooped her up off the couch and held her tightly, soothing her and rubbing her back as he rocked side to side on his feet.

"Come on, let's go home," Draco suggested to Hermione quietly. She nodded in agreement and walked over to her friends, hugging each of them goodbye before returning to Draco and holding his arm tightly. He turned and they were gone with a muted pop.

* * *

Epilogue

"Gabe come stand next to the train! I want to get a picture before you get on!" Noah shouted to her son who had run off to meet Kenley and Alannah as they walked up with their parents. Draco and Hermione waved to their friends and watched their daughters run off with Gabe toward the others. Harry and Ginny stood with Ron and Noah watching as their three children talked excitedly to their friends.

"I don't get why you take a picture of us every year before we get on the train mum! I'm in third year already and Kenley's going into her fourth year," Gabe complained as he stood with his cousins and friends. Five of them in total, they stood in front of the train and smiled while Noah took the pictures and said,

"I take them so that when you leave I'll have something to look at when you're gone! Ok, I'm done."

"How are you holding up there Noah?" Draco asked, coming to a stop with their daughters' trolleys just short of where the others were left.

"I'm still hanging in there. Only a few more weeks and I won't be the size of a whale," she replied as she slipped the camera back into her bag.

"I wish I didn't have to miss it mum! I want to be there when they're born!" Gabe called out from the huddled group of kids who were talking about going back to Hogwarts again.

"I'll be sure to send you some pictures in every letter, ok? That way you won't miss out too much." He smiled and hugged her as best he could over her protruding stomach and returned to his friends.

"They're all growing up so fast. It's hard to believe that Kenley's going into her fourth year already. Hey Harry, isn't Lily starting her first year next year?" Draco asked, noticing Lily talking with Alannah.

"Yeah, and James will be starting fourth year. Makes you remember what it was like during our Hogwarts days, doesn't it?" All the adults but Noah nodded. The whistle blew telling the students it was time to board the train and all the kids turned to their parents to say their final goodbyes for the year.

"Bye daddy! I'll miss you! You too mum!" Kenley told her parents. Draco and Hermione took both of their daughters in a hug and wished them farewell.

"Have a good year Gabe. I'll be sure to write to you and send pictures of the twins when they come. I'm going to miss you so much," Noah told her son. Ron hugged him and said,

"Do good son, I know you will. If you need anything to use on your enemies, write to your uncles and get them to send you some Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products." Noah smacked Ron's arm and gave him a stern glare before kissing Gabe on the cheek and sending him off toward the train with his cousins.

"Bye Lily, I'll see you next year!" Alannah called out as she hopped on the train. Lily waved and took her mother's hand, watching as the train blew its whistle once more and began to slowly chug away from the station.

**Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed my story! I hope you enjoyed it! Keep checking for my next fanfic. It's gonna be a Drarry! **

**-Stephanie from One and a Half Slytherins**


End file.
